President Bola Tinubu has been reportedly fuming inside the State House over the intense backlash from Nigerians regarding the ongoing economic crisis, with some citizens labelling him “Tpain” just under a year into his administration.
According to Peoples Gazette, this revelation comes from internal memos and aides familiar with the president’s sentiments.
In a recent meeting at the Presidential Villa, President Tinubu confided in two guests and aides, expressing his dismay at the relentless criticism his administration faces.
Sources indicate that he conveyed his sadness over the situation, lamenting that many Nigerians prefer to mock him rather than engage in constructive dialogue to find solutions to the country’s pressing issues.
An aide at the meeting told Peoples Gazette, “The president has been very sad and not hiding his frustration over how quickly the so-called Tpain label was allowed to spread on social media.
“The president was mostly angry with unpatriotic people who sit on social media to call him names without offering any unique solutions of their own but only to malign the government.”
Another aide subsequently corroborated the account.
Both officials sought anonymity to discuss the president’s annoyance with The Gazette, fearing administrative backlash.
One of the officials said the president was not particularly seeking to muzzle speech and other fundamental rights on social media, but only decried the undesired impact of its unfettered deployment on the government’s ability to deliver on its promises without distractions.
The official said, “We’re just trying to determine where the campaign to humiliate the president and people working for him is coming from.
“The president respects the rights of Nigerians to express themselves, but some of us will push back hard against the attackers before they do further damage to the country’s image.”
