With the current realities of Nigeria’s economic woes still defying solutions and citizens almost reaching a tipping point in terms of having hope in the government of the day, supporters of Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, have continued to come under fire.
For the president’s supporters, however, the saying that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going – used to emphasize that when conditions become difficult, strong people take action – will likely not be their go-to motivational quote for encouraging themselves as Nigerians have sharpened their claws and started clawing the backs of these cheerleaders for daring to lend their voices to the president’s cause.
A great number of Nigerians have also said that the president’s backers, made up of celebrities, professionals, politicians and even ordinary Nigerians from all walks of life, should hide their heads in shame for supporting Tinubu’s presidential pursuits during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, and equally share the blame for sticking their necks out to vouch for the former Lagos State governor’s proficiency.
For the sake of clarification, it will be recalled that during the razzmatazz of the political campaigns for the 2023 presidential election, Nigerians were divided along party lines or over their support for the leading candidates in that political slugfest and used special monikers to associate themselves with their preferred politicians
For supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the keenly contested election, OBIdients was the name that made waves while die-hard followers of the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and Tinubu who flew the flag of the All Progressives Congress, said they were ATIKUlated and BATified, respectively.
Controversially, however, among only the president’s supporters, BATified, political observers have claimed that celebrities among them are the ones who are getting a lot more stick for the economic hardship in the country.
They (observers) also explain that “erring” celebrities who may have been accused of making the wrong political choice by supporting Tinubu are made scapegoats because they are readily in the face of disapproving Nigerians who subject them to harsh criticisms.
An Asset manager, Ifiok Usanga, said, “Unfortunately, this is the season of making people scapegoats because of the harsh economic situation.
“Celebrities are in this pecking order. Remember that they pepper poor Nigerians with their lifestyle. Well, Nigerians want to pepper them, too, for the economic hardship.
“But I don’t blame Nigerians. A hungry man is an angry man. When people don’t know where the next meal will come from, they target anyone they believe contributed to their poverty.”
One such celebrity Nigerians are crucifying for supporting Tinubu to become president is Oluwaseyitan Lawrence Aletile, known in the comedy circuit as Seyi Law.
Seyi Law is a vociferous, unrepentant apologist for Tinubu who never backs down from defending the president. During the presidential campaigns, he stood firmly on Tinubu’s ‘mandate’ and when he was attacked by OBIdients for “not being on the right side of history” by supporting Obi, Seyi Law had damned the consequences.
After Tinubu won the election and did away with fuel subsidies, including his floating the naira and introducing other economic policies, Nigerians began to experience unprecedented hardship and inflation in the country. And though the president has been trying to assuage the sufferings of Nigerians, pleading with the people to endure a little while longer, those feeling the crunch of the economic downturn have, nonetheless, been using threats to protest and actual protests to register their angst.
Nigerians have also called Seyi Law out for his support of the president and the 40-year-old, who denied saying that he regrets supporting Tinubu and also that he would still vote for him if another election were to hold tomorrow, said in an open letter to Nigerians that he knew there was a lot of hardship and that he was not laughing at the pains of Nigerians.
Seyi Law added that he was in Abuja talking with “some people in government” and that even though his efforts might not mean much to Nigerians; he hoped it would bring hope to the hearts of the people.
With that, the embattled comedian, who stated that he was not begging Nigerians to stop abusing him and that he made his choice and stands by it, declared that “the cost of governance will reduce, minimum wage will increase and food affordability will improve.”
However, in an apparent distaste for Seyi Law’s “meet-and-tell” encounter with those in government, a former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, said that the only purpose of any celebrity with “private access” to Tinubu to release a video begging the president to end hardship was that he or she wanted to trend.
Omokri also pointed out that it was the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, who plunged the country into hardship through humongous borrowings.
“The only purpose of any celebrity with private access to President Tinubu to release a video begging him to end the hardship in Nigeria is that they want to trend.
“Nigeria is broke. Please fact-check me: Buhari borrowed more than Tafawa-Balewa, Ironsi, Gowon, Murtala, Obasanjo, Shagari, Babangida, Shonekan, Abacha, Abdulsalami, Obasanjo, Yar’adua and Jonathan COMBINED.
“He even borrowed in Nigeria’s name to build railways for the Niger Republic,” Omokri concluded.
Another celebrity who is getting a lot of flak for supporting Tinubu is Nollywood actress and movie producer, Toyin Abraham.
Charming, articulate and daring, Abraham was a notable face while Tinubu’s campaign train was gaining momentum and as long as the campaigns lasted, she used her influence to ramp up support for the president.
Before the election, she had the privilege of holding a maiden meeting with Tinubu and thereafter wrote on X, “For the first time, I met the incoming president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and he shared some of his ideas, visions and strategy to solve the challenges before us, as a nation.
“Listening to him indeed renewed my hope and reaffirmed why he is my choice.”
After Tinubu was confirmed as president, Abraham, amid the heavy criticism and backlash she received following her support, wrote an open letter to the president, urging him not to make the mistakes of his predecessors and also unite the country.
“Recently when Badmus was sarcastically asked by a Nigerian on social media if she was still standing on Tinubu’s mandate, the embattled thespian simply replied, “Still standing”
On the reason why she supported the president, she said in her letter, “People have asked why I openly supported your candidacy when others opposed you. I have received insults and threats to my life and business because of my personal choice, which I have never forced on anyone else.
“I will continue supporting you because I have experienced your leadership in Lagos and your achievements as a public servant. I have also admired your ability to adapt to the times and how you have supported the dreams and ideas of so many younger people.”
Meanwhile, amid the current economic hardship and the unbridled criticisms Abraham has been suffering, a Nigerian on X, @Acedolapo, had used the actress’ post on X after her first meeting with Tinubu to mock and ask her: “Hello Aunt Toyin, what are the plans Tinubu shared with you again?”
Last but not least, Eniola Badmus has also borne the brunt of indignant Nigerians. The 41-year-old actress and social media influencer is quite close to Tinubu and has taken her support for the president to another level.
“Let it be known that if Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu wins this election, it’s not because his party is the ruling party. It’s because of the faith Nigerians have in him personally,” Badmus had declared before the presidential election.
She was awarded by the APC Youth Stakeholders Forum for enduring being trolled by Nigerians and in a show of resilience, she dedicated her award to every Nigerian youth who has been cursed or ridiculed for supporting Tinubu.
Badmus, who once said that she faced a lot but was not a storyteller, a testament to the many private battles she is enduring politically, also revealed why she supports the president.
She said, “Aside from me supporting him (Tinubu), I believe in him. I have also seen what he has done and what he is still going to do.
“I have never seen a philanthropist as great as our current president, whether he knows you or does not know you, immediately he hears your problem, it is solved.”
Recently when Badmus was sarcastically asked by a Nigerian on social media if she was still standing on Tinubu’s mandate, the embattled thespian simply replied, “Still standing.”
A political analyst, Opara Kizito, told The Point, “A lot of the president’s supporters have come under fire because people believe that presidents can be impervious to people’s pain, protests and complaints.
“So, the next thing people do is that they target other influential personalities, especially celebrities who are believed to be living the good life and not feeling the hardship and who also support the president.
“People attack celebrities to make them (celebrities) to also feel the heat.
“But those celebrities….if they truly believe in who they are supporting, let them stand strong.”
