This Day Newspaper has received a backlash from Nigerians for naming President Bola Tinubu as the man of the year.
The newspaper explained that their naming Tinubu the Man of the Year stems from his tough stand on fuel subsidy and other reforms that earned him the status.
Also, it explained that the president has shown that he is a resilient leader, adding that” his sacrifice so far and for months to come will never be in vain.”
The article written by Olawale Olaleye detailed the various achievements that Tinubu has recorded since resuming office two years ago.
Posted on Tope Ajayis’s X handle, the representative of the board of editors for This Day newspaper has this to say: “Whether lampooned as T-pain or lionised as T-gain, Tinubu could not be accused of lacking the courage to take tough decisions or the will to stay the course.
“Without a doubt, his approach to reform and governance could benefit from more rigour, consultation and inclusion, and his interventions could be better paced and executed. But it is difficult to argue that Tinubu did not earn his stripes as the most consequential Nigerian of 2024.
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“Overall, the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has by every note, caution, indication and inaction, earned the THISDAY Man of the Year, because of his doggedness, resilience and his ability to take tough decisions even against the grain.”
While This Day lauds the president, many took to their X handle to criticize the newspaper, saying their analysis is subjective, arguing that Tinubu brought untold hardship on the people and the pain hasn’t been alleviated. How come he is named the Man of the Year?
Isaq Mohammed on his Xhandle stated that
“under Tinubu’s presidency, the economic policies have not favoured the youth or the average Nigerian. Job opportunities are scarce, the cost of living has skyrocketed, and basic amenities are harder to come by.
“We’re finding ourselves in a situation where even the simplest needs are a struggle to meet. Before this bad situation, we had challenges, but nothing quite like this… ”
Another X user named Duke of Nigeria, stated that Tinubu was a man of the year “because he was bold enough to bring untold suffering on the people of Nigeria. Subsequently, other leadership indexes have also voted him in a very infamous way, claiming him as a not-so-scrupulous leader.
“According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has been ranked as the third most corrupt leader in the world.
“This ranking was determined through a public nomination process where individuals were asked to nominate figures who had significantly advanced corruption” (source undisclosed).
Former Senator Shehu Sani critiques labelling Tinubu and other African leaders as the most corrupt by online voting and not by incontrovertible facts and figures, stating it is more of a political rating crafted from views, opinions and perspectives.
