.jpeg)
By Stella Odueme
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to identify major infrastructure projects initiated and completed by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration during the eight years he served as Vice President.
The group made the demand in reaction to what it described as Atiku's sustained criticism of the policies and infrastructure projects of President Bola Tinubu's administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate to present a record of projects and policies from the Obasanjo administration that he could directly associate with his eight-year tenure as Vice President.
The group said Nigerians should also be told which policies Atiku initiated during the period and their long-term impact on the country.
TMSG said: “We have seen how former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made it a regular pastime to condemn and criticise virtually all policies and projects initiated by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
“It could also be recalled that the presidential candidate toed a similar path while former President Muhammadu Buhari was in office.”
The group accused Atiku and his political associates of presenting him as a major driver of the economic policies of the Obasanjo administration and argued that he should therefore account for the administration's major infrastructure and policy achievements.
TMSG's comments also revisited a 2023 dispute over Atiku's description of himself as head of the Economic Management Team while he was Vice President.
In January 2023, Atiku said he had been head of the Economic Management Team and had played a role in designing strategies for private-sector investment. Former Minister Oby Ezekwesili disputed the claim, explaining that the Presidential Economic Management Team established by Obasanjo in 2003 was distinct from the constitutionally established National Economic Council, which was chaired by the Vice President. Contemporary reporting also identified Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, then Finance Minister, as the technical head of the Economic Management Team.
TMSG said the distinction made it necessary for Atiku to clarify his specific contributions to the administration's economic policies and programmes.
The group also pointed to Nigeria's Paris Club debt deal during the Obasanjo administration. World Bank records show that Nigeria paid a total of $12.4 billion under the 2005-2006 Paris Club debt-relief arrangement, comprising payments to clear arrears and finance a debt buyback.
According to TMSG, the debt settlement should provide an additional basis for assessing the infrastructure and development record of the administration that followed.
“We are aware that it was a period the country paid $12.4 billion for debt relief from the Paris Club of creditors but many Nigerians have over the years asserted that it was done at the expense of crumbling infrastructure, especially in the power sector and the absence of critical infrastructure including modern rail network,” the group said.
TMSG further challenged Atiku to identify projects from the period that remain significant components of Nigeria's infrastructure today.
“So if that administration did not have to commit funds to debt relief in subsequent budget cycles, the question then is, where are the legacy infrastructural projects initiated and completed by the then government?” it asked.
The group specifically cited developments in the rail sector, arguing that more substantial activity became visible during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and was subsequently expanded under Muhammadu Buhari and the present administration.
TMSG also accused Atiku of presenting himself as having greater federal-level experience than a sitting President, describing such positioning as part of his campaign strategy ahead of 2027.
The group urged the former Vice President to support his criticism of the Tinubu administration with a detailed record of projects and policies associated with his own tenure in government.
It said such a record would enable Nigerians to assess the respective policy and infrastructure records of the administrations being discussed in the current political debate.