By Mathew Dadiya
The presidency has raised concern over a statement by the Afenifere group— a Youruba social cultural group over their position that the president Bola Tinubu administration has performed below standard and caused a regression in human development and economic management of Nigeria’s resources.
In a swift response, Special Adviser to Mr. President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare on Tuesday stated that “a factional Afenifere group’ raises serious concerns about a penchant and deliberate attempt to find faults and trade in deceit instead of objectivity.”
The group, according to the Presidential spokesman, has found it challenging to accept that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s comeback story is firmly underway.
Dare fumed that the “rebellious Afenifere” claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s performance over the past two years has witnessed a regression in human development, economic mismanagement, and democratic backsliding.
“This is a jaundiced view, echoing the view of opposition politicians, one of whom the group supported in the 2023 election.
“A balanced assessment based on available data reveals a more objective and progressive picture, with significant achievements amid the challenges expected from a country like Nigeria with decades-old problems.
“Beyond its confounding conclusions based on prejudice, the statement raises the following issues. With the ensuing point-by-point clarification, it will become clear that the group’s position is neither grounded in facts nor logic.”
Responding further, he said: “The factional Afenifere’s claim that Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, have led to “unmitigated sufferings” and “economic deforms” seeks to draw attention to some of the challenges but overlooks the macroeconomic gains.
“The removal of the fuel subsidy, announced on May 29, 2023, saved the government over $10 billion in 2023 alone, reducing fiscal strain and redirecting funds to other sectors. Unifying the foreign exchange market and the naira’s floatation aimed to address distortions in the currency market, boosted foreign reserves to $38.1 billion by 2024 and achieved a trade surplus of N18.86 trillion for the country.”
Under the Tinubu administration, Nigeria’s annual inflation rate fell to 23.71% in April 2025 from 24.23% in the prior month. Food inflation, the most significant component of the inflation basket, remained elevated but moderated to 21.26% from 21.79%, the presidency explained.
While these figures indicate stabilisation, the immediate impact on ordinary Nigerians is not lost, he asserted.
He said that the government’s cash transfer programme, which provides funds to the poorest households and benefits over 5.7 million households, is a credible outreach.
However, the presidency argued, “dismissing the twin policies as “unforced errors” ignores the unsustainable nature of the previous subsidy regime and multiple exchange rate systems, which were draining public finances. A more balanced critique would acknowledge the necessity of reform while emphasising the need for better-targeted social safety nets.”
Dare said that responsible citizens and political leaders must work collaboratively with the administration to address the challenges and counter disinformation, as “highlighted in the admonition against fake news and deceptive AI videos.”
