Nigerian netizens on X (formerly Twitter) have slammed President Bola Tinubu’s administration for unearthing a 20-year-old article detailing how former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s policies drove citizens to “commit suicide.”
In a tweet posted on Monday night, the Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga shared a front page of The NEWS newspaper blaming harsh policies of the then Obasanjo’s government on more suicide incidents witnessed by Nigerians in 2004.
The newspaper reads: “MORE NIGERIANS COMMIT SUICIDE AS OBJ’S POLICY TAKES ITS TOLL.”
“Dateline: November 2004–Nigeria under President Obasanjo’s watch. No comment,” Onanuga wrote.
Dateline: November 2004–Nigeria under President Obasanjo’s watch. No comment. pic.twitter.com/3hZPoM4ngl
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) October 21, 2024
The post from Tinubu’s aide is considered to be a defence of the current government towards several complaints on how their economic policies have negatively impacted average citizens, according to reactions from the Nigerian Twitter community.
Dateline: November 2004–Nigeria under President Obasanjo’s watch. No comment. pic.twitter.com/3hZPoM4ngl
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) October 21, 2024
A user, @AnozieIsrael said the Tinubu government is thinking backwardly for comparing the present situation to what happened almost two decades ago.
He wrote: “But this is 2024! Are we supposed to be moving backwards? Very soon you will become an elder statesman, which orientation are you bequeathing on the future generations.
Another user, @iamhistory wrote: “APC folks are always quick to make comparisons with the wrong parameters.
Very shameless abalagba.”
“Why are you not always ashamed of yourself and your principal Mr T – pain , why is it that when elder state men are trying to bring in some solutions you errand boy will be attacking them. You nor get single shame fuuuuu,” @SamuelIse3 added.
@OlorogunErnest maintained that the hardships Nigerians experienced during Obasanjo’s era were not exactly on the same level with what is currently obtainable in the country.
He wrote: “Egbon Onanuga with all due respect, I was old enough to witness OBJ’s era and I can say the hardship wasn’t even close to what Nigerians are going through today. You might not really understand because you’re benefitting from Tinubu’s administration but the hardship is record breaking.”
He added: “I disagree bro. Under OBJ, there was a middle class in Nigeria. Nigerians were trooping to Benin Republic to purchase good cars. Today most of the immigrants from Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana etc. Have voluntarily returned to their respective countries because of weakness of the Naira.
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”Inflation rates from 1999; Obasanjo (1999 – 2007) – 12.3%, Yar’Adua (2007 – 2010) – 11%, Jonathan (2010 – 2015) – 10.22%, Buhari (2015 – 2022) – 14.52% T-Pain (2023 – 2024) – 33.9%.”
@nafiumohammad said: “This is wrong sir, it looks like you are mocking Nigerians because the number of Suicides now supersid that of obasanjo 10x. Even me don contemplate committing suicide many times because PBAT’s economic policies and my problems are smaller tthan millions.”
Dateline: November 2004–Nigeria under President Obasanjo’s watch. No comment. pic.twitter.com/3hZPoM4ngl
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) October 21, 2024
@Oforma19 wrote: “Now is even worse than 2004 people are dying of Hunger starvation insecurity. Why corrupt politicians are busy lavishing taxpayers money
Read more below:
Dateline: November 2004–Nigeria under President Obasanjo’s watch. No comment. pic.twitter.com/3hZPoM4ngl
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) October 21, 2024
