Deborah Akinyosoye
Nigerian comedian, Oluwaseyitan Lawrence Aletile, popularly known as Seyi Law, has urged political leaders to openly acknowledge the hardships Nigerians are facing, saying reforms will bring pain but will eventually yield positive outcomes.
Speaking in an interview on the Outside the Box podcast which was released on Friday, he said: “Let us acknowledge the people’s pain and let them know that this reform is coming with this pain but at the end of the day we will be happy.”
Seyi Law explained that frustration among citizens is rooted in hunger and the rising cost of living.
“Nigerians are hungry and hungry people are angry people. I hate it when we try to switch such things under the carpet, which is what politicians do. I don’t like it,” he added.
He also shared that while he understands government reforms may be difficult, he personally shares in the burden.
“I said something that my experience, my understanding does not invalidate your experience. It doesn’t. Did I know that those policies were going to come with pain? I knew. I feel the pain too.”
Citing his own family’s struggles, Aletile highlighted the impact of the naira’s depreciation.
“My family has been in the UK since 2019. For every Naira that I change to pounds, it costs me N2,000. It wasn’t what it was costing me before. It means if I was spending N2M before, I have to spend N5M, so it comes with pain,” he said.
Tinubu’s administration has implemented significant economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies, unification of the foreign exchange rate, and devaluation of the naira.
These measures have led to a severe cost-of-living crisis and have yet to yield the desired growth acceleration. However, the government maintains that these reforms are necessary for long-term economic rejuvenation.