Tinubu Walks to Office Daily and Eats Only Once a Day, NRS Boss Claims
- Nigeria Revenue Service Executive Chairman Zacch Adedeji made the claims during a Channels Television interview on Sunday
- Adedeji said Tinubu only uses a vehicle when travelling to the airport and has not left Nigeria in three months
- The remarks came as Nigerians continue to debate government spending amid rising living costs and economic hardship
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The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, has pushed back against criticism of President Bola Tinubu's lifestyle, insisting the president lives modestly despite holding the country's highest office.
Adedeji made the claim during a Sunday interview on Channels Television on August 9, where journalist Seun Okinbaloye pressed him on the lifestyles of political officeholders against the backdrop of Nigeria's ongoing economic difficulties.
Source: UGC
On the question of Tinubu's movements and reports of a large luxury vehicle convoy, Adedeji said the president walks from his residence to his office every day and only gets into a car when heading to the airport.
He also said Tinubu has not left Nigeria in the past three months and eats just one meal a day.
Adedeji Defends Tinubu's Use of Vehicles
When asked specifically about the number of Escalades reportedly assigned to the president's convoy, Adedeji challenged the premise outright, arguing that a sitting Nigerian president is well within means to own such vehicles.
"Mr President goes from home to office on foot, not even driving except when he is going to the airport. I don't know where you see the convoy. Before he became president, what is he riding?" Adedeji said.
"How much is an Escalade that the president of Nigeria cannot afford? Please don't embarrass this country."
He went further to question what critics mean by "living large," citing the president's limited public appearances and domestic schedule as evidence of restraint.
"What is living large? In the last months, he has not even left the shores of this country, trekking and working. If you go there now, you will see him review one document or the other," Adedeji said.
"So what is living large? The president eats once in a day. How many parties have you seen him at in the last three years? Tell me where you have seen him, whether on holiday or anywhere?"
Public Debate Over Government Spending
The interview comes at a time when public scrutiny of government spending has intensified, with many Nigerians struggling with high food prices and a weakened economy. Questions about the gap between the living standards of political leaders and ordinary citizens have remained a recurring point of tension in public discourse.
Adedeji's remarks are likely to attract further debate, given that they come from a senior government official defending the president's personal habits rather than addressing broader policy concerns about public expenditure.
Makinde: PDP will beat Tinubu
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Governor Seyi Makinde had declared that the Peoples Democratic Party is on course to secure victory in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.
He spoke on Monday, May 4, during the 103rd National Executive Committee meeting of a faction of the party in Abuja.
Source: Legit.ng
