FIJ
On November 13, videos of artisans condemning the steady inflation and economic hardship in the country under President Bola Tinubu went viral on X.
In the videos shared by Adetutu Balogun, an X user, about 10 artisans from different parts of the country said Tinubu promised to turn the economy around while campaigning but they were experiencing the opposite.
FIJ found that ‘Mama Eleja Oyingbo’, the fish seller who spoke in one of the videos, was subsequently trailed by police officers. The woman had said in Yoruba that the cost of buying her fish had now doubled and she could no longer afford to educate her children.
“You asked us to vote for you and we did, but now that you have assumed office, you are making life difficult for us,” she said.
“A carton of fish that usually goes for N30,000 is now N70,000. We are hungry and helpless. Stop making life difficult for us.
“We used to send our children to school from the proceeds got from selling fish, but that is no longer possible.
“The Tinubu-led administration and the Lagos State Government are making life difficult for us. You asked us to vote for you, but now that you have been elected, nothing about your policies benefits the masses.
“Please, just make life bearable for us again.”
FIJ visited Oyingbo Market, where the woman trades, on Monday and found that police officers from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos, were on her trail.
“Some policemen came here looking for Mama over the video that has now gone viral,” anonymous sources who spoke with FIJ said.
“So, we are wary of people who come around to ask about her.”
Sources also told FIJ that the woman is 75 years old and only spoke out of frustration caused by the prevailing market conditions.
“The woman they are condemning for speaking out was experiencing a bad day when she was approached for the video,” said a source who does not want to be named.
“She had come out to the market as usual but could not even sell out one carton of her stock.
“Also, she spoke out due to the rising inflation affecting her business. She has been in the business for decades. She started way before she married, and she trained her children with it.
“But things have never got out of hand as they are now. She is currently running at a loss and people are condemning her for speaking out…
