Reactions as Tinubu Chinese tablets go viral

Reactions as Tinubu Chinese tablets go viral

Many Nigerians have criticised the alleged production of 40,000 campaign tablets bearing President Bola Tinubu’s name in China.

They questioned why the devices were not manufactured locally to create jobs and support the country’s technology industry.

The controversy followed a viral video shared by a Nigerian man who said he discovered the tablets during a visit to a factory in China.

According to him, the tablets were being produced in English, Hausa and Yoruba as campaign souvenirs for Tinubu.

However, Sunday PUNCH could not independently verify the claim that the devices were being produced for Tinubu’s campaign.

The development generated criticism on social media, with many Nigerians questioning the decision to outsource the production to China instead of engaging local manufacturers.

Reacting to the video, an X user, Okiki Ola, questioned why Nigerian technology entrepreneurs were not given the opportunity to produce the devices.

“So, what happened to the tech guys in Nigeria? You can’t empower your own youth as sitting President. Forty thousand tablets, bro. Do you know what that would do to Nigeria’s economy if given to a Nigerian to produce in Nigeria?” he wrote.

Another user, Toochukwu Asiegu, said, “This is how Tinubu is spending 2024/2025 and 2026 budgets. He must induce Nigerians with something. Money meant for primary healthcare, education and other critical areas is used to produce campaign items. Over to you, Nigerians.”

Commenting with “Enyinnaya,” another user said the resources spent on the tablets could have been channelled into more meaningful projects.

“If only all these resources were spent on meaningful projects, there would be zero worries about winning the elections,” he said.

Another user, X6, said the money spent on the production could have been used to provide infrastructure and create employment opportunities in Nigeria.

“The several millions used for this could have been used to build amenities back home, creating jobs and feeding families. But here we are,” he wrote.

TeeD, another X user, accused the President of using taxpayers’ money to fund the production of campaign materials, saying it was troubling that Nigerians were grappling with economic hardship while resources were being spent in another country.

“This is how Tinubu is spending 2024 and 2026 budgets. He must induce Nigerians with something. Money meant for primary healthcare, education and other critical areas is used to produce campaign items. Over to you, Nigerians,” he wrote.

Also, Don Creative argued that developing local manufacturing or assembly capacity would have saved foreign exchange and created employment opportunities for Nigerians.

“Instead, we chose to fund another country’s economy while remaining perpetually dependent. Nigeria can, and should, prioritise investments that deliver long-term value to our people,” he said.

However, Joe Bills questioned the basis for linking the alleged production to the government.

He queried, “How do you know it’s government doing this and not a private citizen?”