Nigerians on social media have accused the Presidency of manipulating President Bola Tinubu’s 66th Independence Day broadcast, after a viral video showed what they described as a “cut-and-join” presentation with a voice-over inserted over previously recorded footage.
The controversy began after X user Felix (@felixherbt) posted a clip of the broadcast, urging Nigerians to examine the video closely. “Take a moment and zoom in on this video,” Felix wrote. “You will observe that Tinubu’s eyes never blinked once until the speech ended, and the lip movements stayed exactly the same until the end. They did a revised voice-over using Tinubu’s previous videos. They keep packaging fraud for Nigerians to consume”. Another user, @brosdave1, added: “Watch the way he swiped his tongue when he said ‘honesty’ — no one talks when their tongue is out and mouth open, but he did”.
The video, originally shared by Channels Television, was widely circulated on X and other platforms. The Presidency has not responded to the allegations, and there has been no official explanation for the editing.
Another X user, Ayemojubar (@ayemojubar), criticised the production of the broadcast, describing it as evidence of a deteriorated mind. “Can you imagine how deteriorated a mind must be when you have to cut and sew multiple parts of someone’s speech just to create a single sentence? Nigeria deserves better than this. We have no shortage of sound minds, so we shouldn’t be in this state”. He also noted that the cuts and joins in the speech were absurd, adding that it took multiple edits just to get through a scripted address.
READ MORE: Tinubu’s Cancer Analogy Backfires as Nigerians Remind Him He Was in Power Since 2015
The controversy is not isolated. Nigerians have taken to social media to criticise the broadcast, describing the presentation as a “cut-and-join video” and questioning Tinubu’s delivery. Some focused on the President’s voice and appearance, with reports noting that the video details revealed he might be sick. The Independence Day speech itself has also drawn heavy criticism from opposition figures. Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, said the broadcast turned the nation’s 66th anniversary into a day of mourning, particularly objecting to Tinubu’s comparison of Nigeria to a cancer patient who had been relying on painkillers under previous administrations. The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation described the address as a rhetorical exercise that failed to offer concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic hardship and insecurity. The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party insisted that Nigerians are worse off today than they were in 2023.
This is not the first time Tinubu’s public appearances have been questioned. In the past, he has faced scrutiny over his health and the frequency of his foreign trips, which have taken him out of the country for extended periods. The latest controversy over the edited broadcast has renewed public debate about transparency and the authenticity of official communications from the Presidency.
As of the time of this report, the Presidency has not issued a statement addressing the allegations. For many Nigerians, however, the video has already raised uncomfortable questions about how the President’s speeches are being produced and whether the man they see on their screens is truly the man speaking.
Leave a comment