
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has dismissed remarks made by former Minister of Interior and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress ADC, Rauf Aregbesola. Aregbesola, speaking at the ADC national convention in Abuja, criticized the ruling party's "Renewed Hope" agenda as a "scam" and accused it of enacting an electoral law that decriminalized forgery. He highlighted the naira's devaluation from approximately N700 to N1,400 against the dollar, rising fuel costs from N185-N238 to about N1,400 per liter, and deteriorating power supply, suggesting that an honest president who failed on such promises should step down. Onanuga countered, stating that Aregbesola lacked the moral authority to criticize, citing his own record as governor of Osun State, which he described as characterized by hardship, unpaid civil servants, and pensioners. He also criticized Aregbesola's tenure as Minister of Interior, noting a high number of jailbreaks, including the 2022 Kuje Prison escape, and difficulties in obtaining Nigerian passports. Onanuga defended the Tinubu administration, mentioning a minimum wage increase, a decline in inflation, and growth in foreign reserves and GDP, while acknowledging that policy reforms have had unintended consequences and that relief measures have been introduced.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.