Bayo Onanuga, who serves as the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has issued a sharp rebuttal to statements made by Rauf Aregbesola, the national secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former governor of Osun State. Aregbesola had described the current administration's 'Renewed Hope' agenda as fraudulent.
Aregbesola made these remarks on Tuesday during the ADC's national convention in Abuja, asserting that the Tinubu-led government had not fulfilled its promises approximately three years into its term.
"Four years ago, this government promised Nigerians renewed hope," Aregbesola was quoted as saying.
"Now, three years into its tenure, it is still promising renewed hope. When exactly will this hope come into fruition? The answer is simple: it is a scam."
He further stated, "If allowed, this regime will continue to chant renewed hope till eternity. We have a duty to stop these scammers from retaining power."
In response, Onanuga took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to dispute Aregbesola's assertions, labelling them as inaccurate and driven by political motives. He also commented on the ADC convention and its leadership.
"My attention has been drawn to Rauf Aregbesola’s attack on the Tinubu administration at today’s illegal elective convention of the ADC — a party of desperados and power mongers who, to date, have not articulated any credible plan for Nigeria," Onanuga stated.
"At the event, Aregbesola reportedly called on his former boss, mentor, and benefactor to resign, parroting the opposition’s warped narratives about the economy and orchestrated reports of terrorist attacks in some parts of the country."
Onanuga also questioned Aregbesola's suitability to critique the current government, citing his own track record in public service, particularly during his governorship of Osun State.
"His eight years as governor of Osun State were characterised by unmitigated hardship for the people," he remarked.
"Under his half-baked socialist policies, civil servants went unpaid for months, and those who were paid received only a fraction of their salaries.
"It is to Aregbesola’s infamy that Osun became known as a state receiving negative federal allocation and paying just 20 to 30 per cent of normal salaries.
"It was worse for pensioners in Aregbesola’s Osun State. Many pensioners who relied on their meagre monthly payments died because they were not paid at all."
Furthermore, Onanuga criticised Aregbesola's performance as Minister of Interior under the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, highlighting concerns about security within the nation's correctional facilities.
"As Minister of Interior under President Muhammadu Buhari, his tenure witnessed the highest number of jailbreaks in Nigeria’s history — including the infamous Kuje Prison escape in Abuja," he said.
"During his four years, obtaining a Nigerian passport became a nightmarish process, and there were 15 major attacks on correctional facilities in Jos, Abolongo, Imo, Kabba, and Okitipupa, resulting in over 4,000 inmates escaping to join criminal elements."
Onanuga concluded by affirming his support for President Tinubu's agenda, asserting that progress is indeed being made through the Renewed Hope initiative.
"No, Rauf, the Renewed Hope Agenda is not a scam. The real scammers are the politicians gathered inside the SPV called ADC," he added.
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