Marking two years in office, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has affirmed that democracy is thriving in the country, dismissing claims that the President is attempting to impose a one-party system as absolute nonsense.
The Presidency also highlighted the tremendous progress achieved within the past 24 months, assuring Nigerians that inflation, a major concern, is expected to ease significantly in the coming weeks.
Speaking to Vanguard via telephone, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, emphasized the government’s remarkable achievements since taking office in 2023. He expressed confidence in the reforms instituted by the administration, noting their positive impact across several sectors.
“What I will just say is that two years later, we have many stories of success, and we can say very confidently that the reforms this present administration instituted in 2023 have yielded fruits,” Onanuga said. “This is evidenced in many areas.”
He pointed out the significant improvements in Nigeria’s foreign exchange regime, saying, “We have succeeded in harmonizing the exchange rate. The era of arbitrary forex regimes where the official rate was hundreds of naira apart from the parallel market is now history. The exchange rate is more stable now than it has been in two or three years.”
Onanuga further noted that the country has been recording positive balances of payment and trade in substantial figures, signaling economic stability. Regarding inflation, he acknowledged it as a challenge but reassured that it is on a downward trend.
“Inflation, the one that has been giving some problems, is easing; it’s going down. We expect it to go further down in the next two weeks or so because food prices, which are the major driver of inflation, have continued to reduce,” he explained.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to celebrate the government’s accomplishments so far, while reminding that the administration is only at its midterm and there are more successes to come.
“This is just the midterm; we expect more successes in the second half of our journey. We have many things to be proud of that this government has achieved,” Onanuga said.
On the state of democracy in Nigeria, Onanuga firmly asserted that it is alive and thriving under the current administration. He pointed to the active presence of opposition parties, the freedom for political groups to organize, and the absence of intra-party conflicts as proof.
“Democracy is alive; it’s thriving. This government allows the opposition to thrive. You can see them holding meetings everywhere, planning their own show. That shows democracy is alive,” he said. “The APC is also conducting its affairs peacefully; you don’t see them fighting one another. Everyone is on their own lane.”
He emphasized the availability of fundamental democratic freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom of association, which he described as key indicators of a healthy democracy.
“Freedom of speech is available, freedom of association is available. So democracy is thriving in our country, contrary to some insinuations that this government wants to impose a one-party system. It’s all absolute nonsense. Democracy is alive in Nigeria,” Onanuga concluded.