NEWS
Plateau Tragedy Sparks Outrage as Actor, Kunle Remi Urges Nigerians to Use Grief-Stricken Images in Birthday Messages to Bola Ahmed Tinubu
…as The Actor Urged Nigerians to Adopt a Sombre Tone in Marking the President’s Birthday, Citing a Recent Deadly Incident in Plateau State.
Nollywood actor Kunle Remi has urged Nigerians to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s birthday by sharing images from the recent tragedy in Plateau State.
An unconfirmed number of residents of Gari Ya Waye community in Angwan Rukuba were killed on Sunday night, the same day the president marked his 74th birthday.
Reacting to the incident, the 37-year-old, in a video posted on his Instagram page on Monday, strongly condemned the attack.
He criticised what he described as an insensitive response to the country’s worsening security situation, pointing in particular to a widely circulated video of a grieving mother clutching the lifeless body of her son while wailing in anguish.
He said:
“Hey guys, today is the birthday of the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Please, let’s wish him a happy birthday. There is an image or a video of a in pain, crying from the loss of someone. That is the image we should use. If you want to wish him a happy birthday, which I suggest we should actually wish our President a happy birthday.
“So, everyone seeing this video, if you feel you want to wish him a happy birthday, please use that video. There are images from it, there are videos, look online, you will see it. There was a woman in pain. 15 hours ago, a disaster occurred in Plateau. That is the celebratory message we should use, please.”
Remi maintained that Nigerians needed no further justification to celebrate Mr Tinubu, insisting that the images and videos alone were sufficient.
BACKSTORY:
Remi’s criticism of Mr Tinubu’s handling of the country’s security challenges, particularly the killings in Plateau State, followed his earlier criticism of the administration over worsening economic conditions and the continued rise in petrol prices.
He had previously condemned the government over the sharp increase in fuel costs and its ripple effects on businesses and ordinary Nigerians.
He also took issue with the country’s unreliable electricity supply, pointing out that many businesses now depend heavily on generators even as fuel prices soar.
The father of one further questioned why Nigeria, despite being an oil-producing nation, remains so exposed t
o global supply shocks.