Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide to Goodluck Jonathan, has stated that President Bola Tinubu’s decline in popularity is part of a recurring pattern in Nigerian governance, not an isolated incident.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Omokri was asked why the president appears to be losing public goodwill.
He responded that midway into a leader’s first term, it is common for citizens to feel the pressure of economic reforms.
“That is always the case in Nigeria. The best predictor of the future is the past. When you have the two-way mark of your first term, when people are feeling the effects of your reform, they are going to have that kind of feeling,” Omokri explained
He added that previous administrations had faced similar challenges.
“It happened to General Olusegun Obasanjo… President Jonathan… and even Buhari—worse than it’s happening to Bola Tinubu,” he said.
Despite current hardships, Omokri insisted that the country was showing signs of improvement.
“Your governor was talking about it. The agricultural input of Nigeria has improved, so things are going to get better.”
Offering a note of optimism, Omokri concluded: “Nigeria is not going to get to El Dorado overnight, but we are going to get there over time.”
The comments come amid growing public frustration over inflation, the removal of subsidies, and economic strain.
However, Omokri’s remarks suggest the administration should be given more time to deliver results.
Peter Obi using lies to chase foreign investors away from Nigeria – Reno Omokri
In the same interview, Pulse Nigeria reports that Omokri threw shots at 2027 presidential hopeful Peter Obi.
He accused Obi of driving away prospective foreign investors from Nigeria by spreading false information about the country’s debt stock.
In a controversial interview with Seun Okinbaloye of Channels Television, Obi quoted figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), claiming that the Tinubu administration has amassed more debt than the governments of former presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua combined.
However, Omokri said the former Anambra State Governor’s remarks were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
He said, due to Obi’s submission, some investors currently operating in Nigeria are considering exiting the market.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up,” Omokri said during the interview.
“The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari. That is a blatant lie,” Omokri said.
