President Bola Tinubu’s government has said that though Nigerians are suffering economic hardship, opposition politicians, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and other citizens should not exaggerate the pain and suffering of Nigerians.

Sunday Dare, spokesperson for the Tinubu-led government, in a post on X on Thursday, said the administration is not gagging citizens in the face of prevailing hardships.

“This administration does not ask for silence in the face of hardship,” Mr Dare said, posting an official portrait of the president.

The presidential spokesperson charged opposition politicians and Nigerians at large to be fair in their criticisms of the country.

“It asks only for fairness and a shared commitment to rebuilding this country, not just exaggerating its pain. This is what President Tinubu expects from all Nigerians and well-wishers of our country,” Mr Dare said.

Like the Nigerian masses lamenting economic hardship, widespread poverty, and insecurity under Tinubu’s watch, Messrs Abubakar and Obi have continuously criticised the president.

Earlier this week, Mr Obi berated Mr Tinubu’s government for lavishing N712 billion on airport renovation while Nigerians suffer unprecedented hunger.

Nigerians have witnessed unprecedented inflation and a cost-of-living crisis since Mr Tinubu assumed office, removing fuel subsidy and enforcing exchange rate unification.

Though lauding Mr Tinubu’s dual policies as bold moves, the International Monetary Fund reported that poverty and food insecurity remained high under Mr Tinubu.

With pump prices jumping from N145 to about N900, and the naira collapsing to N1,500 to a dollar, inflation now stands at 23.7 per cent — a drop from 34 per cent after rebasing the economy.

The World Bank’s Africa Pulse report of April 2025 stated that Nigeria, under Mr Tinubu, has the highest number of extremely poor people globally, warning that more Nigerians will be plunged into poverty by 2027.

Under Mr Tinubu, Nigeria recorded the largest increase in acute food insecurity globally in 2024, according to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, published by the Global Network Against Food Crises in collaboration with the Food Security Information Network and UNICEF.

Similarly, bandits have continued to raid communities in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Plateau, prompting Amnesty International’s criticism of Mr Tinubu’s government for failing in its primary duty.