A board member of the City Boy Movement, Balami Isaac, has sparked nationwide outrage after openly boasting that he and his family have escaped Nigeria, yet insisting that ordinary citizens must remain and endure the crushing economic hardship inflicted by President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The City Boy Movement is a political group heavily promoted by Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, making these remarks a direct reflection of the arrogance at the heart of the Tinubu political dynasty.
In a viral statement, Isaac said: “God has blessed me, I have residency in another country, I have an airline, my family is not in Nigeria. But Nigerians must endure this hardship and vote for Pres. Tinubu for a second term to continue the good works.”
This is the most naked display of elitist hypocrisy Nigeria has seen in years. It is a shocking admission of the reality of the Tinubu government. The people selling the President’s economic policies do not live with the consequences. They have foreign passports. They have private airlines. They have their families safely tucked away in countries with functional economies and reliable electricity. But they want the average Nigerian, who cannot afford a bag of onions, to stay in the country and suffer in silence for another four years.
Seyi Tinubu and his City Boy Movement have been parading themselves as the voice of Nigerian youth. But Isaac’s statement exposes what the movement truly represents. It is not a platform for young people. It is a vehicle for the children and allies of the political elite to secure power, contracts, and influence while the rest of the country burns.
What exactly are these “good works” that Nigerians are supposed to be enduring? Is it a bag of onions that now costs N300,000, which is four times the national minimum wage? Is it an inflation rate that has wiped out the savings of the middle class? Is it the fact that the government is borrowing trillions of naira to fund a budget while refusing to pay health workers for 19 months?
The sheer gall of boasting about having an airline while telling the masses to manage poverty is beyond comprehension. Isaac’s statement is a cruel joke at the expense of millions of Nigerians who cannot afford to travel out of the country, let alone own a plane. It confirms the worst fears of citizens: the government is completely detached from reality. They live in a bubble of luxury, insulated from the suffering they created.
Seyi Tinubu needs to answer for this. This is his movement. These are his people. If his board member believes that the only solution for Nigeria is for the poor to suffer while the rich escape, then Seyi Tinubu should have the courage to say it himself. Instead, he hides behind surrogates who insult the intelligence and dignity of the Nigerian people.
The people of Nigeria deserve better than a government that views them as subjects to be exploited. They deserve a leadership that shares in the sacrifice they are asked to make. Until Seyi Tinubu and his father’s allies are ready to abandon their foreign residencies, sell their private jets, and suffer the economic hardship they have imposed on the country, they have no right to ask Nigerians to endure anything.
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