Of fake lives, real hypocrisy, paradox of Nigerian leadership

By Sadiq Muhammed

The statement by President Bola Tinubu that “Nigerians are living a fake life” is both ironic and laughable. Perhaps the President assumes he is exempt from this description. Who exemplifies a “fake life” more than a leader who purchases luxury yachts, private jet, and car he has no practical need for in a country grappling with economic hardship?

If the President believes Nigerians are undeserving of certain comforts, while he and his elite circle alone are entitled to such extravagance, then his remark becomes all the more insulting.
From the dismissive tone of “subsidy is gone” to the imposition of taxes that disproportionately burden ordinary Nigerians, it is evident that his policies serve the privileged few while neglecting the masses.

The idea that the average citizen’s desire for a better life is a “fake life” reflects a deeply troubling disconnect between leadership and the people. 
Consider the contradictions of budgeting billions for an office that doesn’t exist in the constitution, the so called “Office of the First Lady,” or the purchase of a single car for over a billion naira in this struggling economy. These actions scream hypocrisy. How can a government that fails to provide security for its citizens justify the extravagant deployment of security personnel to protect only a privileged few? This level of hypocrisy is the epitome of a “fake life.”
It is profoundly sad how our leaders take us for granted, treating Nigerians with contempt while indulging in the very extravagances they decry. The fake life, it seems, resides not with the citizens struggling to survive, but with the leaders who squander resources on vanity while ignoring the nation’s pressing needs.

Muhammed can be reached at Sadiqu2013@gmail.com, 08056859039