Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has once again defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing him as “the right leader Nigeria needs” because he “took bullets for Nigeria to survive.” The statement has reignited debate over whether the president’s early policy decisions were necessary medicine or avoidable pain for citizens.
Onanuga, who serves as Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, used the phrase “took bullets” as political metaphor. He was referring to Tinubu’s first-year decisions that drew heavy criticism: removal of fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rates. Both policies caused immediate price hikes, inflation, and hardship for millions of Nigerians. But according to Onanuga, avoiding those choices would have kept Nigeria on a path to fiscal collapse.
“When a doctor gives you bitter medicine, you may cry, but it saves your life,” Onanuga argued in recent media appearances. In his view, subsidy removal stopped billions of naira from leaking to smugglers and a small group of importers. FX unification was meant to end arbitrage and create a single, transparent market. He insists these were “bullets” Tinubu absorbed politically so the country could stabilize in the long run.
Supporters of the administration echo this defense. They argue that past governments delayed reforms because of election cycles and public backlash. Tinubu, they say, chose to act in his first months instead of kicking the problem down the road. The goal, they maintain, is to free up funds for infrastructure, education, health, and social programs once savings from subsidy removal are properly channeled.
Critics, however, push back hard. They point to rising costs of food, transport, and electricity since mid-2023. Many Nigerians say the “bullets” landed on ordinary citizens, not on wasteful government spending. Labor unions and civil society groups argue that reforms without strong safety nets amount to policy without compassion. For them, being the “right leader” also means timing, sequencing, and cushioning reforms so the poor don’t bear the brunt….See More
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