Tinubu “Took the Bullet” for Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu “took the bullet” for Nigeria’s survival by implementing painful but necessary reforms that have set the country on a path to growth, a presidential spokesperson said, as the leader marked exactly three years in office.

Tinubu was sworn in on May 29, 2023, and has since overseen a series of sweeping economic reforms, including the removal of a costly fuel subsidy and the unification of the naira’s multiple exchange rates.

In a very long piece, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said opposition politicians have escalated their “campaign of misinformation and calumny” to diminish the administration’s achievements.

“Two years ago, when the administration was struggling to deal with the unintended consequences of its historic reforms, the campaign would have made sense. But not anymore,” Onanuga wrote on Thursday.

Onanuga quoted Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule as saying Tinubu “has taken the bullets for all of them” by implementing reforms that increased states’ fortunes.

He said Tinubu inherited “acute petrol scarcity, an unsustainable petrol subsidy regime, multiple exchange rates” and low revenue in May 2023, with debt servicing consuming 97 percent of federal revenue.

Why I Signed Oil Revenue Order - Tinubu — President Bola Tinubu. Credit: Bayo Onanuga.

“President Tinubu wasted no time. He threw the ruinous subsidy out of the window from Day One. Days later, he floated the naira,” Onanuga said.

Onanuga cited the stock market as “clear proof of the administration’s economic success,” noting that the All-Share Index has risen from 53,000 points in May 2023 to a record 250,000 points.

He said foreign portfolio investors are “flocking in to partake in the Nigerian boom.”

Onanuga admitted to security challenges, saying “it has not been all rosy the past three years, especially in the area of making our people safe.”

But he said the government is unrelenting in providing security forces with the tools they need.

“The man who has taken the bullets to make Nigeria survive a fiscal disaster is even more willing to take additional bullets to make all Nigerians safe,” Onanuga said.

Nigeria’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2027. Tinubu is expected to seek a second term.

Bola Tinubu: the man who took the bullet for Nigeria to survive

By Bayo Onanuga

With politicking intensifying ahead of the January 2027 election, opposition politicians have escalated their campaign of misinformation and calumny to diminish the impact and achievements of this… pic.twitter.com/ghK0GWlKJv

— Bayo Onanuga, OON, CON (@aonanuga1956) May 29, 2026

Author

Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.