Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to provide clear answers on tackling Nigeria’s economic difficulties, arguing that citizens need to know when and how they will receive relief from rising prices.
Ibe’s demand followed Tinubu’s appearance at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, where the President remarked that he was a “comfortable man” who did not understand the pain Nigerians experienced in the market.
The comment prompted a response from Ibe, who said the priority for Nigerians was not the President’s personal circumstances but his administration’s response to the challenges confronting them.
He drew a comparison with an aircraft facing turbulence, arguing that passengers would expect their pilot to explain how the situation would be handled.
“When a plane hits turbulence, passengers don’t need to hear how comfortable the pilot is. They need to know what he’s doing to get them safely to the ground. Now imagine that President Bola Tinubu is that pilot,” Ibe wrote in a post on X.
He specifically highlighted the difficulties faced by market women dealing with rising prices, saying Nigerians needed practical measures to lower the cost of living and a clear timeline for when such efforts would produce relief.
Ibe also referred to videos of Tinubu at political gatherings in Uyo and Port Harcourt, commenting on the President’s movements and speech. He ended his criticism with a warning that the country’s economic situation could worsen, using the prospect of an aircraft crash to describe his concerns about Tinubu’s leadership.
