Special adviser to the president on information and strategy Mr. Bayo Onanuga, joined Seun Okinbaloye on Mic On Podcast for an exclusive discussion. Addressing critical national issues and bringing his extensive background as a journalist and his current role as the president’s aide to bear on various national issues.
Mr. Onanuga expressed his opinion about the 2023 general elections stating that Peter Obi was a candidate in such a long while in the history of Nigeria who has inflamed religious and ethnic passions. In his words he said
“For the first time in a very long while in our country we had a candidate who was inflaming ethnic passions and that was the way the election went at that time. He was inflaming ethnic passions on religious passions bringing two dangerous things to our politics, ethnicity and religion”.
Also speaking about the late Dele Giwa’s death, the shock it must have sent to journalists at the time and lessons learnt Mr. Onanuga stated
“For me as a journalist, the lesson I learnt was that if you are a journalist even if you have some interactions with people in power try, don’t be too close to them you have to have friends in government, you have to associate with them but always make sure you leave a gap don’t. Dine with them with a very very long spoon. That was my own lesson”.
Additionally, Mr Onanuga bared his mind on the outcome of the 2023 general elections which brought President Tinubu into power stating a man who came third couldn’t have won the elections
“up till now some people are still writing that Bola Tinubu stole the presidency, some people are saying the man who came third actually won the election and they are very unapologetic about that. How could somebody who came third say he won the elections?
Responding to the allegation being reported of him saying Nigeria is one of the safest places to live Mr. Onanuga stated that Nigeria is the safest place to live in compared to the United States and South Africa.
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