Nigerian influencer and former Big Brother Naija housemate Natasha Akide, known as Tacha, has called on citizens to broaden their scrutiny of public officials beyond President Bola Tinubu, targeting governors, senators and local government leaders amid concerns over massive federal fund allocations.
In a viral video posted on Monday, Tacha criticized what she described as a national fixation on the presidency, arguing it allows lower-tier officials to evade responsibility for governance failures. “It be like say only two people, Nigerians like to drag for this country. Every Nigerian has believed that their problem is Tinubu,” she said, referring to Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu.
Her remarks come in the wake of the Federation Account Allocation Committee’s (FAAC) August meeting, where N2.2 trillion – one of the highest monthly disbursements in recent years – was shared among federal, state and local governments. Tacha highlighted a specific allocation of N44 billion to a single local government chairman, questioning its impact. “44 billion, I didn’t say million, 44 billion has been disbursed to a local government chairman. Watch how they’ll do absolutely nothing with it, because at the end of the day, they understand that Nigerians will come out and drag Tinubu,” she stated.
The influencer, who rose to fame on the 2019 season of the reality TV show, emphasized the untapped potential of grassroots accountability. “Even with the fact that as little as a local government chairman’s office is, their responsibilities are a lot and they are absolutely doing nothing,” she added. She praised Lagos as “one of the best-performing states” while urging citizens to “hold them by their neck” – governors, House of Representatives members and senators alike – to deliver results.
Tacha challenged Nigerians’ familiarity with local leaders, noting many could not name their own council chairman. “Money has been given to your state governors, money has been given to your local government chairman… Hold them accountable,” she said, concluding with a rallying cry: “Drag everybody” in positions of power.
The video has sparked online discussions on Nigeria’s economic woes, including inflation and infrastructure gaps, though no official responses from targeted officials were immediately available. Tacha’s intervention underscores growing public frustration with perceived elite impunity at all government levels.
