Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko defended President Bola Tinubu’s administration during a podcast interview. He stated that conditions in Nigeria were not as severe as critics claimed.
Kosoko spoke on the Talk to B podcast hosted by actress Biola Adebayo. The interview appeared online on Friday and drew attention on Saturday.
Kosoko responded to public complaints about the cost of food and hunger. He asked listeners to examine the past of those making the claims.
“When you see people saying, ‘I am hungry, 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,” he said.
He added that the picture painted by critics was overstated. “Things are not as bad as some people made us understand,” Kosoko said. He noted that people continued to make money in various ways and that those still struggling would see their turn.
Kosoko made clear he did not claim conditions were perfect. “I’m not saying things are rosy,” he said. He argued that previous governments failed to plan for population growth and left many problems for the current administration.
“Too many problems on the ground, which Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now fixing,” he stated. He pointed to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, or NELFUND, as one example of support. The scheme covers school fees for eligible students and provides monthly allowances of about ₦20,000.
“The government is taking some responsibility off the parents,” Kosoko said. He urged beneficiaries to speak publicly about their experiences.
Kosoko appealed to Nigerians to allow the president and his team to complete their work. “Let’s try and allow Mr President and his team to finish what they started,” he said.
He also said Tinubu’s opponents knew the president was on the right track but that ambition had clouded their judgment. The actor has supported Tinubu since before the 2023 election.
