Politician Doyin Okupe faces backlash for suggesting Nigerians grow tomatoes in sacks amid soaring food costs, showing tone-deaf privilege and lack of empathy.
Politician Doyin Okupe has sparked outrage among Nigerians for his tone-deaf suggestion that people should grow tomatoes at home in sacks to combat the skyrocketing prices of tomatoes in the country. His comments come amid a worsening cost of living crisis fueled by high inflation rates.
Okupe made the insensitive remark during a time when many Nigerians are struggling to afford basic food items like tomatoes due to rising costs. His advice for citizens to take up subsistence farming was met with disdain on social media, with people calling out his lack of empathy for the struggles of the masses.
One commenter sarcastically asked, "So make I wait to make my tomatoes germinate before I go eat stew???" highlighting the impracticality of Okupe's suggestion as a short-term solution. Others questioned if he and his own family were following his advice by growing produce at home.
The overwhelming sentiment was that Okupe and other politicians were out of touch with the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians. Comments like "The audacity of these politicians to treat Nigerians with such impudence" and "Forget about who said this, focus on the larger picture, he is stating facts" showed the divide between the elite and the public's perspectives.
Some did try to see the positive intent behind his words, noting that growing one's food is a reasonable long-term goal for self-sufficiency. However, most felt his statements reeked of hypocrisy and a failure to grasp the urgency of the economic situation.
Overall, Okupe's comments added fuel to the fire of public frustration towards the ruling class's perceived indifference to the cost of living crisis affecting millions of Nigerians daily.
