Nigerian comedian, Lawrence Oluwaseyitan Aletile, popularly known as Seyi Law, has called on political leaders to openly acknowledge the economic hardship citizens are enduring, stressing that ongoing reforms, though painful, will ultimately produce positive results.
Speaking on the Outside The Box podcast released on Friday, Seyi Law said leaders must show empathy and reassure citizens that their struggles are not in vain.
He stated: “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.”
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The comedian emphasized that growing frustration among Nigerians is largely driven by hunger and the escalating cost of living.
“Nigerians are hungry and hungry people are angry people. I hate it when we try to sweep such things under the carpet, which is what politicians do. I don’t like it,” he added.
While expressing understanding of the government’s policies, Seyi Law noted that he personally shares in the impact of the economic challenges.
“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,” he said.
The comedian further cited the effect of the naira’s depreciation on his own household, revealing that supporting his family abroad has become significantly more expensive.
“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 N2 million before, I have to spend N5 million, so it comes with pain,” he explained.
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has embarked on major economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies, unification of the foreign exchange rate, and devaluation of the naira.
These measures have triggered a steep rise in the cost of living, fueling public discontent, although the government insists that the policies are crucial to revitalizing the economy in the long term.
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