Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has taken fresh shots at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi while defending President Bola Tinubu’s economic record, declaring that ‘facts are stubborn.’
Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the remarks in separate posts on X while reacting to figures on Nigeria’s public debt and investments in gas infrastructure.
In the first post, he responded to a ranking of African countries by public debt as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, which placed Nigeria well below several heavily indebted economies.
‘Another stubborn fact for those whose stock in trade is to denigrate Nigeria and the Tinubu presidency and raise baseless alarms about our sovereign debt,’ Onanuga wrote.
‘Our country is not among Africa’s most indebted countries. Unlike the countries listed here, our debt burden is about 35 per cent of our GDP.
‘Kudos to PBAT and the economic team for responsible leadership.’
The IMF’s April 2026 Fiscal Monitor puts Nigeria’s gross public debt at about 35.5 per cent of GDP for 2026.
Onanuga later returned to X after Nairametrics highlighted investments being driven through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund.
The report said the MDGIF had attracted about ?1.6 trillion in investment across 31 projects involving 205 infrastructure assets.
It also highlighted the expansion of compressed natural gas infrastructure as part of efforts to deepen domestic gas utilisation.
Nairametrics separately reported that the fund had supported 31 projects and more than 200 infrastructure assets, with further CNG facilities expected to come on stream before the end of 2026.
Reacting, Onanuga turned the development into a direct attack on Tinubu’s leading political opponents.
‘Facts are stubborn, resilient like the old VW Beetle,’ he wrote.
‘President Tinubu has achieved much, contrary to the jaundiced view of Atiku Abubakar and the underachieving former governor, Peter Obi!’
The remarks come as exchanges between the Presidency and opposition figures intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku and Obi have repeatedly criticised aspects of the Tinubu administration’s economic record, while presidential aides have pushed back by pointing to government reforms and investment figures.