The Special Assistant on Public Communications to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has accused the Nigerian government of lying to the people. Shaibu, in a statement on Sunday, said the government has been caught in at least 10 embarrassing lies over a 117-day period.

He said the lies include claims that petrol subsidy has been removed, that the United Arab Emirates has lifted the visa ban on Nigerians, that Tinubu was the first African President to ring the NASDAQ bell, and that President Joe Biden requested to meet with Tinubu on the sidelines of UNGA.

“The first lie that was told by Bola Tinubu was in his inaugural speech, where he stated that petrol subsidy is gone. With oil prices now at $94 per barrel and naira exchanging at N1,000/$1, the price of diesel has risen to about N1,000 per litre while petrol remains at about N620 per litre. It is obvious to the discerning mind that petrol is now being subsidised, a position which all oil marketers have espoused. Nigerians should not be deceived. Tinubu’s claim that there is no subsidy is a lie from the pit of hell, and the fact that they are even hiding the information means there is no transparency, and the money is probably being stolen again.

The second lie told by these charlatans was that the United Arab Emirates had lifted the visa ban on Nigerians immediately and that all Nigerians were free to visit Dubai. This lie was well celebrated by many undiscerning Nigerians whose only crime was to believe the deceptive words of an illegitimate government. UAE authorities later confirmed to CNN that it was all a lie. What a national embarrassment!

A third lie told by this deceptive government is that Tinubu was the first African President to ring the NASDAQ bell. It has since been established that Malawian President, Jakaya Kikwete, rang the bell on September 21, 2011.

Another lie was a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale on August 27, 2023 where US Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, was quoted 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 is a mark of his high regard for your leadership.” Well, this has turned out to be another embarrassing lie as Tinubu has departed UNGA and never met President Biden.

“A fifth lie was a claim made by Tinubu on the floor of NASDAQ where he stated that “We have retooled the exchange rate to a reliable, dependable one figure floating of the naira. You are free to take in your money and bring out your money.” But this is another lie from the pit of hell. The exchange rate on the I&E Window is about N780/$1, while the rate at the parallel market is about N1,000/$1. Besides, foreign airlines still have over $600m funds stuck in Nigeria. Tinubu, therefore, lied when he said “you are free to take in your money and bring out your money,” the statement read

Shaibu also said the government lied about the Nigerian Air Force striking terrorists gathering at Kurebe in Shiroro LGA in Niger State, that the Central Bank of Nigeria would inject $10 billion into the foreign exchange market to clear the FX backlog, and that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had obtained an Afrexim loan of $3bn with which it would help stabilise the naira.

In the statement, Shaibu further accused the government of lying about the Student Loan Act, which he said provides student tuition loans only and does not cover any other educational expenses.

Shaibu said the fact that Tinubu has more media aides than economic and security advisers is enough to prove that his administration would rely on propaganda as a state policy.

He advised the Nigerian media always to fact-check any claim made by the government as this would help maintain their credibility.