Phrank Shaibu, Atiku Abubakar's special assistant on public communications, has warned Nigerians to be aware of what he characterized as a planned strategy by President Bola Tinubu's government to employ propaganda to mislead people.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, Shaibu urged Nigerians not to believe the sincere regret expressed by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the President's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, and others because "they are only sorry they got caught." He claims that the President's handlers have been exposed to at least ten humiliating lies that have been spread throughout Nigeria over 117 days. He said, "It is ample proof that Tinubu's administration will use propaganda as a state policy because he has more media aides than economic and security experts.
"I would advise the Nigerian media to always fact-check every assertion made by this administration in order to preserve their credibility. Go outdoors to see if the sun is shining if the Tinubu administration declares that it is morning. "These are the 10 lies of the Tinubu regime I have compiled so far," Shaibu continued.
"1. In his inauguration speech, Bola Tinubu made the false claim that the gasoline subsidy was no longer in effect. With the price of waste oil at $94 a barrel and the naira trading at N1,000 to $1, diesel is currently about N1,000 per liter while gasoline is still about N620. The stance that all oil marketers have maintained is that gasoline is now being subsidized is evident to the astute mind. Nigerians shouldn't fall for lies. The assertion by Tinubu that there is no subsidy is a devil's advocate falsehood, and the fact that they are even withholding the data indicates a lack of openness and the likelihood that more money is being taken.
"2. The second falsehood spread by these charlatans was that all Nigerians were now free to travel to Dubai since the United Arab Emirates had instantly abolished its prohibition on the country's citizens obtaining visas. Many undiscerning Nigerians, whose only sin was to trust the false statements of an unreliable administration, enthusiastically cheered this deception. Later, UAE authorities told CNN that everything was a hoax. What a shame for the country!
"3. This dishonest government's third falsehood is that Tinubu was the first president of an African country to ring the NASDAQ bell. Since then, it has been shown that Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Malawi, rang the bell on September 21, 2011.
4. The US Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, was cited in a statement made by Ajuri Ngelale on August 27, 2023, as saying, "President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It shows how highly he regards your leadership. As Tinubu left the UNGA and never saw President Biden, this has proven to be yet another humiliating falsehood.
"5. Tinubu's assertion that "We have retooled the exchange rate to a reliable, trustworthy one figure floating off the naira" was a fifth falsehood uttered on the NASDAQ floor. You are allowed to bring in money and take money out. But this is yet another devilish deception. The I&E Window's exchange rate is around N780 for every $1, but the parallel market's rate is over N1,000 for every $1. Additionally, international airlines still have approximately $600 million in money that is trapped in Nigeria. Due to this, Tinubu was lying when he declared, "You are free to take in your money and bring out your money."
"6. On August 14, 2023, the Nigerian government announced on its official Twitter account that terrorists gathered in Kurebe in Shiroro LGA in Niger State had been struck by a Nigerian Air Force strike. The terrorists, according to the administration, were defeated. Now, Premium Times has uncovered in its most recent investigation that this is all misinformation since the people who died were unarmed citizens. Is it not terrible how the Bola Tinubu administration's falsehoods have now spread to the military? The body of the fish cannot survive corruption after the head has gone bad.
"7. The Cenprogram of Nigeria said on September 6, 2023, that it will infuse $10 billion into the foreign exchange market within two weeks to eliminate the FX backlog as part of Bola Tinubu's marketing campaign. No money has been pumped into the system for days after the deadline expired while the naira continues to plunge. There is no institution that Tinubu's administration can save from destruction.
"8. Tinubu declared, "As your President, I shall serve with a bias towards none," in his inauguration speech. But it now appears that this was just another outright falsehood. With all important appointments in every sector going to a certain region of the nation, including CBN, FIR Customs, the army, police, and immigration, while he serves as the petroleum and gas minister, Tinubu has been operating a government that is managed by, for, and by the clannish. Only five ministers were chosen from the southeast by Tinubu, who picked ten from the southwest. If this is not biased, what else is it?
9. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited announced last month that it had secured a $3 billion Afrexim loan that would assist in stabilizing the naira. We alerted people that everything was a hoax to fool Nigerians. We now have justification since Afrexim Bank has declined to comment on the naira's current black market rate of $1/N1,000. Simply put, this was audio cash.
10. The Student Loan Act, which Tinubu signed on June 12, was maybe the largest fraud and deception of his administration. The new law solely permits student loans for tuition. It doesn't pay for any further schooling costs. All federal government schools started raising tuition once the bill was signed. However, Dele Alake, who was the Special Advisor on Media at the time, stated in a
claim that all public schools continue to offer free tuition and that the only fees that have grown are those for housing, labs, libraries, and other expenses. Therefore, if tuition is free and the Student Loan Act only applies to tuition fees, the Student Loan Act is useless and no money would be disbursed under it.
released. In essence, Tinubu's administration has pushed government schools to raise tuition while forgoing student loans. This is the height of depravity and dishonesty.
