‘I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about’— Tinubu’s spokesman Onanuga

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has dismissed widespread hunger claims as overstated, arguing that new roads, student loans, and shorter commute times are proof that Nigerians are genuinely benefiting from President Tinubu’s policies.

If you want to know how Tinubu’s government is doing, apparently just check Google Maps.

According to Vanguard, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga raised eyebrows Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television, arguing that the hunger crisis critics describe simply doesn’t match what he sees on the ground — or on his daily commute.

Onanuga pointed to a surprise encounter with a freshly-paved concrete road near Ijebu-Ode as evidence of presidential delivery. “I said, ‘Wow, when was this one built?'” he recalled. He also credited the coastal highway for slashing his Ajah-to-Lagos drive from two hours thirty minutes to just over one hour. “Is that not beneficial? What are people talking about really?”

On hunger specifically, the presidential aide was equally dismissive. “I’m a Nigerian. I have people working for me privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about,” he said, adding that he regularly asks his staff how they’re coping.

He also traced Nigeria’s hunger narrative to a viral video of President Tinubu leaving a Lagos mosque, over which someone dubbed the phrase “Ebi n pawa o” — meaning “we are hungry.” “Since then, people have been saying that,” Onanuga said.

Critics, however, may need more than Google Maps data to be convinced.