Presidency

A moment meant to celebrate Nigeria’s democratic heroes took an awkward turn on Thursday when the Presidency mistakenly listed two living figures—Pa Reuben Fasoranti and Dr. Edwin Madunagu—under its posthumous honours during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech at the National Assembly.

The blunder drew swift public attention and raised eyebrows, prompting a formal apology from the Presidency just hours later.

In an official statement, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, admitted the mistake, calling it an unfortunate oversight.

“Under the Posthumous Award category, the names of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the Afenifere leader, and Dr. Edwin Madunagu were incorrectly included,” Onanuga acknowledged. “Both distinguished individuals are very much alive and should not have appeared in the posthumous category.”

Onanuga assured the public that the Presidency is taking immediate steps to correct the error across all State House communication channels.

“We sincerely regret this oversight. We shall make the necessary corrections across all State House digital platforms. We appreciate your understanding,” the statement added.

The Democracy Day ceremony was intended to honour a range of individuals—both living and deceased—who have played significant roles in Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement.

Despite the unintended gaffe, the event saw the recognition of several notable national figures for their sacrifices and contributions.

Observers have called on the Presidency to tighten vetting processes for such sensitive recognitions to avoid future errors that could embarrass or misrepresent national icons.

The Presidency has justified President Bola Tinubu’s decision to purchase a new presidential jet, worth around N150 billion, despite public outcry and widespread poverty.

Aside from the purchase of a new presidential jet, the government have been criticised for continuing in the habit of borrowing despite improved income.

According to Daniel Bwala, the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, the new jet is necessary for the president’s global travels.

The government had last year unveiled a new Airbus A330 purchased for the President. The new jet, it was revealed, replaced the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700(BBJ) bought during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Asked for the justification of the purchase in Arise Television’s The Morning Show program on Tuesday, Bwala explained that the previous jet had frequent problems.

He said, “As for the purchase of the presidential jet, it’s justifiable because for the president to travel around the world, he would need a better jet.

“I understand that when Buhari was in power, occasionally his jet had problems that needed to be fixed.

“And with respect to appointment, you appoint to meet a purpose, if there is a need to appoint people you will appoint, where the trouble will come is when you appoint people and they are not effective.”

The presidential spokesman also addressed concerns about the administration’s borrowing policy. Bwala stated that borrowing is justified when funds are used for infrastructural development. He noted that Nigeria’s limited resources require borrowing to meet the government’s mandate.

His words, “When I made the decision to support the president, I decided to pay attention to his policies and doing research. In doing so I decided to look at where there failure, I tried to know why.

“For example, there was a time we had food inflation and I tried to look at what actually is the cause of the food inflation and I realized there was natural disaster in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, while we have insecurity in the Northwest.

“The research is to find reason for whatever is the policy and where there is a misinterpretation of the policy, we will come out and give our perspective. Government is a work in progress, there is nothing magical about what I said before and what I’m saying now .

“As opposition, I opposed the government and now I speak for the government.

“The government borrows and there is a justification for borrowing. Before now, I never cared about whatever is the justification but now I realize that for the government to be able to carryout it’s mandate for the people with limited resources, it needs to borrow.

“I will give you an example, there is a research by economics that only infrastructure alone, Nigeria needs to spend between 30 to 100 billion dollars annually in other to meet up with the deficit. Or in proper perspective, over a period of 30 years, Nigeria must spend between two to three trillion dollars.

“The budget of Nigeria is less than 35 trillion dollars, so definitely you see the need to borrow, when you borrow what do you do with it is what matters. The government borrow for infrastructure and intervention in the areas where it affects Nigerian people, so there is a justification for borrowing.”

The presidency has insisted that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms are yielding positive results.

Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this via a post on X.

Onanuga, however, admitted that the times are tough but there is a brighter future ahead.

He wrote: “The economic reforms of the PBAT administration are yielding dividends. The road is rough, the times are tough, let us persevere for a brighter future. Surely, there is a beam of light at the end of the tunnel.”

Onanuga churned out some statistics that said: “In the first quarter of 2024, Nigeria recorded trade super plus of N65.527 trillion. But by the second quarter, that number rose to N65.945 trillion, a 6.5 percent increase.

“By half year 2024, we had exported enough to cover half of Nigeria’s N28.77 trillion budget.”

The Presidency has revealed that President Bola Tinubu is considering a reshuffle of his 47-man cabinet.

The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing reporters at the State House in Abuja.

Responding to a question about potential changes in the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Onanuga confirmed that the president is “tinkering with the idea” of reorganizing the cabinet.

However, he did not specify the exact timeline for the reshuffle, stating, “I can’t say specifically whether that will be done before the Independence celebration on October 1.”

The announcement has sparked anticipation about possible changes in ministerial roles, although no details were provided on which ministers might be moved or dropped.