Sokoto State governor Ahmad Aliyu’s decision to name a road in the state after the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, has sparked a heated controversy, drawing significant backlash from various quarters.
A picture of the renamed road’s signage emerged online on Saturday, ahead of Katsina State Governor Umaru Dikko Radda’s rescheduled commissioning.
The road, formerly called “Pepsi Road”, was supposed to be commissioned on June 3 but was postponed and rescheduled to a later date.
The public’s response to the governor’s decision has been intense; a resident, Salisu Ahmadu, questioned the action, stating that Mr Tinubu has not made any significant contributions to warrant such a commemoration in Sokoto or Nigeria.
“The governor left many illustrious indigenes of Sokoto and instead named a road after the president’s son who is not even from Sokoto or anywhere in the northern region,” he told Peoples Gazette today.
On X, some users said the move was denigrating and likened it to North Korea. They said it was a cheap move to impress the president while other complained that the road was poorly constructed.
@UncleAnass said, “This is how @Ahmedaliyuskt is denigrating the name of Sokoto with his lack of capacity and sheepishness. Imagine naming a road after Seyi Tinubu. Not even the Tinubu self. Mtschew. This is so denigrating. This is really pathetic. Allah ya isa.”
@AsIngawa001 said, “Seyi Tinubu road in Sokoto State stands as a testament to Nigeria’s practice of celebrating individuals with little or no contribution to the country’s progress.”
Another X user, Heinz_Gunner, said, “Road to North Korea. This is how it begins!!” while @jnraib2 noted, “Even Lagos didn’t name a road after Seyi Tinubu, but the Sokoto governor must impress Tinubu.”
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