The Presidency has responded sharply to former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola's criticism of President Bola Tinubu, delivered during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) national convention in Abuja on Tuesday. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga issued a rebuttal that not only targeted Aregbesola but also indirectly questioned the performance of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Onanuga cited data from Aregbesola's tenure as Osun State governor between 2010 and 2018, stating civil servants were paid only 20 to 30 per cent of their salaries, with some going unpaid for months. He claimed many pensioners died due to non-payment of entitlements.
Onanuga also highlighted that 15 major jailbreaks occurred under Aregbesola's watch as Interior Minister from 2019 to 2023, including the Kuje Prison escape, leading to over 4,000 inmates fleeing. He described passport acquisition during that period as "nightmarish." The statement noted that Aregbesola's successor in Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, had to manage the fallout, and current Governor Ademola Adeleke still faces the consequences.
In defence of the Tinubu administration, Onanuga said reforms had unintended hardships but were being addressed through a 100 per cent increase in the minimum wage, cash transfers, and inflation reduction from over 25 per cent to below 15 per cent. The government, he added, has boosted military funding and secured foreign support to tackle insecurity. The Renewed Hope Programme, according to the statement, has improved GDP, foreign reserves, and investor confidence.
Rauf Aregbesola's political comeback attempt has collided with a presidency unwilling to let past records slide, especially those tied to governance failures under the previous administration. By invoking specific figures—over 4,000 prison escapes, 20–30 per cent salary payments in Osun, and 15 major jailbreaks—the Presidency didn't just counterattack; it weaponised verifiable administrative history to undermine his credibility. This isn't merely a war of words; it's a calculated exposure of how governance lapses can be repurposed as political liabilities years later.
The context here is Nigeria's shifting political terrain, where former allies are now adversaries, and records are being scrutinised like never before. Aregbesola, once a key figure in Tinubu's Lagos administration, now criticises the very model he once served. But the Presidency's emphasis on economic recovery—minimum wage hikes, inflation decline, and foreign reserve growth—frames the narrative around performance metrics, not loyalty. By anchoring its defence in data, the administration signals a new playbook: rebuttals rooted in documented outcomes, not rhetoric.
Ordinary Nigerians, especially civil servants, pensioners, and those affected by insecurity, are the silent witnesses to these claims. If true, the Osun salary crisis and the surge in jailbreaks under Aregbesola directly impacted livelihoods and public safety. For them, this exchange isn't political theatre—it's a reminder that leadership decisions have lasting human costs.
This episode fits a broader pattern: the instrumentalisation of governance records in Nigeria's political warfare. As defections and realignments multiply, past tenures are no longer buried—they are excavated, quantified, and deployed.
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