Why Is “How to Kill Tinubu” Trending on TikTok? What Happened To President Tinubu?

Nigeria has a complexly woven history of leaders who have set their agenda before the country. After gaining independence from British colonization on October 1, 1960, the country sometimes invested in a good leader and was sometimes infested by a worse dictator. The divide between supporters and opposers has only created a hostile environment in the country.

Although the country is among the top in Africa and an emerging nation in terms of GDP, the low ranking on the Human Index and rampant corruption have been a massive setback for eons.

After decades of struggle, the thriving nation hung on to hope with Chief Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu. His high promises and as a firm advocate for democracy convinced the masses that Nigeria was finally in good hands.

However, after just 100 days of his service as the president of Nigeria, he was subjected to several criticisms for his controversial economic reforms, such as the removal of fuel subsidies that consequently led to soaring petrol, transport, and food prices.

Due to the sensitive nature of Nigerian politics, netizens took to TikTok to express their views on his presidential tenure so far. However, his supporters came to his defense, stating there hasn’t been substantial time to judge his presidency yet.

Tinubu blamed the opposition for spreading propaganda against him with unwarranted criticisms. In a recent address to Yoruba, Tinubu sent a message to the opposition who disparaged him by saying, “You Can’t Kill Me, I’m Like a Poison Ivy, I Can’t Be Eaten.” This sparked a trend on TikTok with #HowtoKillTinubu, trolling his statement.

What Happened To President Tinubu?

Tinubu was raised in Southwestern Nigeria before moving to the USA, where he studied accounting at the Chicago State University. However, allegedly, he got in trouble with the law in the states.

Tinubu was previously convicted by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in Case No: 93C 4483, for an offense involving dishonesty and drug trafficking. Post this, he returned to Nigeria and was recruited by Mobil Nigeria as an accountant.

After a year, he ran for the Lagos West Senatorial Candidate under the Social Democratic Party. He was appointed the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. Later, he became the Senator of Lagos West in the Third Republic.

With the end of the previous dictatorship, Tinubu found a golden chance to set his foot in the presidential run since he advocated for democracy for years. People voted for him with the expectation that his reforms would be a catalyst for Nigeria’s exponential growth.

However, when Tinubu’s administration eradicated the subsidies, people went berserk over the potential surge in fuel, transport, tourism, trade, and food prices. Tinubu gave clarification on his stance in the speech below–

Why Is “How to Kill Tinubu” Trending on TikTok?

Tinubu’s new policies stirred several criticisms, while the opposition got an incentive to tarnish his reputation further. So Tinubu accused the opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, of waging a campaign of calumny against him, calling Atiku a serial defector who repays “good with evil.”

In a rebuttal, Tinubu said that he is like a “Dagunro” – a poison ivy that cannot be consumed, and those who attempt to eat will be destroyed.

What he meant– that the opposition cannot intimidate him out of the presidential race.

However, several altered videos have been circulating on TikTok that suggest that Tinubu would be making US dollars as the new currency of Nigeria. Even though these are disproven, several commentators expressed their disagreement by calling him a “puppet” for the West and implying a need for a coup.

Overall, a significant fraction of people conflict with Tinubu’s administration. The “How To Kill Tinubu” is trending on TikTok as a metaphor for how to remove Tinubu from the presidency after the court sided in his favor.

Meanwhile, in the latest update, Tinubu is the first Nigerian president to visit India for the G20 summit.

What is your take on the trend? Do you agree that Tinubu is hampering Nigeria’s growth? Or do you believe his policies will be fruitful?

Let us know in the comments below.