Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs Tope Fasua claimed that phone snatching no longer posed a major problem in Nigeria. He made the statement during a members-only Coffee Hangout organised by Kay Hikers Club in Abuja.
Fasua compared Nigeria favourably to other countries. He told attendees that incidents occurred more frequently abroad.
A woman challenged Fasua at the event. She linked economic hardship to rising street crimes. She said underpaid security guards and survival pressures led people to rob others for phones.
She asked Fasua about safety on ride-hailing services and general insecurity. She stated that Nigerians could no longer walk streets without fear of theft. She urged him to report ground realities to President Tinubu.
Fasua responded by highlighting problems elsewhere. He said phone smashing happened on London streets in the UK. He referred to Victorine, a Cameroonian vlogger who visited Nigeria. He quoted her as saying people could not hold phones openly in Cameroon.
He insisted Nigeria had progressed. Fasua said, “Nigerians have moved ahead from all these phone snatching. It is not a major crisis in Nigeria. I do my walks in the morning. I work everywhere. It’s not an issue.” He added that critics should not use every issue to criticise the country.
Another male attendee pushed back against Fasua. He accused the adviser of spiritualising structural problems by suggesting mindset changes. He said the issues represented reality, not just perception.
Fasua maintained that individuals could still improve their situations. The video of the exchange spread on Instagram and drew online mockery.
