Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has addressed the rising criticism surrounding the nickname “T-pain,” a social media moniker for Tinubu.
The term “T-pain,” a combination of “Tinubu” and “pain,” reflects public frustration over Nigeria’s economic challenges and has been widely used online.
In an interview with Channels Television, Onanuga clarified that President Tinubu is aware of the difficulties Nigerians face but is committed to improving the economy. “The president is aware that the citizens are going through some difficulties,” he said.
He also dismissed the social media nickname as irrelevant to Tinubu’s mission: “The president does not read what is on social media… Some people out of mischief just say somebody is a T-pain. He [Tinubu] is not T-pain.”
Onanuga insisted that while Tinubu’s policies may bring short-term hardship, they are aimed at long-term economic reform. “The president has never shied away from telling Nigerians that he feels their pain and he is working very hard to make sure that he gives them some relief so that things will get better and this country will get more prosperity,” he said. “We are experiencing economic growth, despite inflation; revenues have increased.”
Earlier this month, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had criticized Tinubu, using the moniker “T-pain” and questioning Tinubu’s response to economic hardship, particularly the increase in petrol prices. Atiku stated, “It is even more worrying that T-pain is undisturbed by the hardship in the country,” attributing the current economic challenges to the administration’s approach to fuel subsidy management.
With Nigeria facing inflation and economic pressures, Tinubu’s administration faces mounting public scrutiny, but Onanuga maintained that the president is focused on long-term prosperity for the nation.