The Presidency on Monday dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s warning that Nigeria risked unrest similar to the French Revolution due to raging hunger.
It described the opposition leader’s comments as “cheap talk” and out of touch with recent economic data.
“Their latest statement demonstrates a disconnect from the authentic Nigerian reality,” a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Monday evening.
Atiku, who lost to President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election, said rising hunger could trigger mass anger reminiscent of the 1789 French uprising or the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
However, the Presidency countered that statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics painted a brighter picture.
According to the statement, headline inflation declined for the fifth straight month in August, while the country posted a record trade surplus, with non-oil exports nearly equalling crude oil at a 48:52 ratio.
The Presidency also said foreign reserves had climbed to nearly $42bn, up from $32bn when Tinubu took office, after settling more than $7bn in arrears, including $800m owed to foreign airlines.
