‘What Were You Eating Before Tinubu? Allow Him Finish His Job’ — Jide Kosoko Knocks Critics

Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko has challenged Nigerians complaining about hunger under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, asking what they were eating before the president assumed office.

Kosoko also urged Nigerians to allow Tinubu to complete his tenure, insisting that the president was doing well despite widespread criticism of his government’s economic management.

The 72-year-old actor made the remarks during an interview on Talk To B, a podcast hosted by his colleague, actress Biola Adebayo. The interview was published on YouTube on Friday night.

An outspoken supporter of Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kosoko argued that the country’s current economic difficulties were partly caused by the failure of previous administrations to plan adequately for Nigeria’s growing population.

According to him, Tinubu is now attempting to address problems that successive governments failed to resolve.

“Things are not as bad as some people made us understand. People make money here and there. Some people might still be unlucky, but that doesn’t mean their time will not come,” he said.

Kosoko maintained that financial success depended in part on individual effort, adding that people should not expect opportunities to come to everyone at the same time.

He said, “People don’t queue to make money; everybody works for their money and business. It is not turn by turn. You can have your money today; my own time can come today too. I need not wait for you. It all depends on what I do and what you do.”

The actor questioned the circumstances of Nigerians who complain about hunger, suggesting that some of those expressing dissatisfaction had no meaningful source of livelihood before Tinubu became president.

“When you see people saying, I am hungry. Go and check the majority of those people saying that. Before Tinubu came, what were they doing?

“What were they eating? Every year, things change. Those that we understand, we understand. Those we abuse, we abuse. I don’t care,” Kosoko said.

He argued that successive administrations had failed to prepare adequately for the country’s population growth, leaving the current government to deal with the consequences.

Kosoko also attributed Nigeria’s current economic challenges in part to previous governments’ reluctance to remove the petrol subsidy.

He admitted that leaders of his generation had failed to end the subsidy regime earlier, arguing that the country was now confronting the consequences of decisions that had been postponed.

“The free money being used to satisfy you and me needs to be taken back for us to face reality. The reality is that we are not buoyant enough to start enjoying what we are enjoying. We still have quite a few other things to do,” he said.

The actor argued that even if fuel prices had remained low, Nigerians would still have needed to spend money on essential needs, including school fees, business operations, and environmental maintenance.

He cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of the government’s interventions, arguing that student loans could ease the financial burden on families.

“Look at NELFUND, students’ loan. If the loan is not approved, whatever you have made will go to that school for your children. It has been taken off you,” he said.

Kosoko urged students and other beneficiaries of government programmes to share their experiences so Nigerians could better understand the impact of the policies.

Defending Tinubu’s administration, Kosoko urged Nigerians to be patient and allow the president to complete his programme, arguing that the opposition had little to offer compared with the incumbent.

“Let’s allow the man to finish his job. He’s doing well. Regardless of what his opponents are saying, and at any rate, there is nothing he is doing that is bad before them. They want to rubbish what he is doing so you will think they have stocks, but unfortunately, he is already there doing what he understands,” he said.

The actor maintained that criticism of the administration should help the government identify areas requiring improvement rather than serve as a basis for dismissing its efforts.

He also called on Nigerians to re-elect Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, expressing confidence that the president would eventually overcome the challenges confronting the country.

Kosoko further argued that the government should not be judged solely on whether it distributed food items directly to citizens, saying that its policies and investment initiatives could yield longer-term benefits.

He cited comments attributed to former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as evidence that Nigeria was moving in the right direction.

“If people like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala confirm that we are on the right track. She has nothing to gain from such a statement. Then, we are on the right track,” he said.

He added that partnerships with Western leaders and investors could help Nigeria address its economic difficulties.

While acknowledging that Nigerians were experiencing hardship, Kosoko insisted that the country needed to confront its economic challenges rather than postpone difficult decisions.

“The suffering we should have suffered in the past is what we’re all suffering now. If our generation is still helping ensure that this generation still enjoys it, we have little time left. But most importantly, don’t forget we have generations coming. We need to face it once and for all,” he said.

Describing the period as difficult, the actor urged Nigerians to cooperate with the government and remain hopeful about the country’s future.

“My appeal is this. He will take us out of this mess. He is only cleaning up people’s mess. We should know. If we don’t cooperate, let it happen, and join in enduring this pain, we won’t reach the promised land. But by God’s grace, we will get to the promised land,” Kosoko said.

He also raised the question of who would succeed Tinubu after his tenure, warning that the next president would need to sustain the difficult reforms and policies required to keep the country moving forward.