The Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, has strongly dismissed suggestions that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu maintains an extravagant lifestyle, stating that the President routinely walks from his residence to his office and eats only once a day.
Adedeji made the remarks on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, while responding to questions about the lifestyles of political office holders amid Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges and rising cost of living.
According to the NRS boss, President Tinubu typically treks from home to the office and only uses a vehicle when travelling to the airport. He further noted that the President has not travelled outside Nigeria in the past three months and is often found reviewing documents and working.
“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.
Addressing questions about the reported presence of Escalade vehicles in the President’s convoy, Adedeji questioned the premise of the criticism. “How much is an Escalade that the president of Nigeria cannot afford? Please don’t embarrass this country.”
He continued: “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. 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?”
Adedeji’s comments come against the backdrop of public debate over the cost of governance and the perceived lifestyles of public officials while many Nigerians face economic hardship.
The NRS Chairman maintained that President Tinubu’s personal habits and work ethic do not support claims of extravagance.