Nigeria – Oluremi Tinubu Faces Backlash Over Unveiling of National Asoebi Amid Economic Hardship

By Utebor Paul, Nigeria

The First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has come under fire on social media, following her unveiling of a national “Asoebi” (traditional attire) in preparation for Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations.

Reacting to the development on X formerly twitter, many Nigerians criticized the initiative, calling it insensitive in the face of the country’s economic struggles and widespread hunger.

A social media user, “ehhllyys,”  commented: “Rice dey, Asoebi don land…. Let the party begin! Clowns!”

Similarly, “e4emmanuel” expressed displeasure, saying: “People are hungry, the economy is in disarray, una dey busy dey sew asoebi. Jobless woman,”

Another user, “maryajator”, said: “Omoo, emotional intelligence is another skill to acquire. Like how can the masses be crying about hunger issues and the thing a first lady of a nation could come up with is cultural wear. Naahh, this is bleh.”

A user with similar sentiment, “thisteachergrins” sarcastically questioned the initiative’s relevance: “We should buy asoebi for Independence Day?”

“Getitrightnaija” labelled the initiative irrelevant to the country’s urgent problems, saying, “Jobless woman; na that one want solve Naija hunger.”

In another critical comment, “mrsdebs” described the situation as “Misplaced priorities. Very clueless administration,” capturing the general discontent surrounding the First Lady’s initiative.

Recall that African Culture TV reported that the First Lady launched the attire on Monday at the State House, calling it a National Unity Fabric under the One Nigeria Initiative.

She had also awarded the 25-year-old fabric designer, Miss Bamidele Mofiyinfoluwa, the winner of the One Nigeria Unity Fabric competition with the sum of N25 million.

The fabric design competition was organised by the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), chaired by the First Lady herself.

A panel of distinguished judges, including fashion icon Princess Zainab Abba Folawiyo and international textile designer Miss Banke Kuku, selected Bamidele’s creation as the winning design.

The competition, which was launched in February 2024, invited young Nigerians aged 15-25 to submit designs that embodied national unity.