Exposure to Tinubu’s “Let the Poor Breathe” Viral Video on Social Media and its Influence on Audience Perception of His Economic Policies

Abstract

President Ahmed Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC) while making his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, as he was being sworn as the new president of Nigeria, said “Let the Poor Breathe”. The statement became a popular sound bite as this video went viral on various social media platforms. With the economic policies of President Tinubu, especially the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of Naira against the dollar which have led to inflation, there is a growing concern as to whether Tinubu actually wants to let the poor breathe. This research work, among other objectives, investigates audience perception of Tinubu’s “Let the Poor Breathe” comment which went viral on social media and how the comment influences people’s perception of his economic policies. The Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method was used to study 60 purposively selected participants among Anambra State civil servants at the State’s Secretariat, Awka. The study was anchored on the Reception and Perception theories. The result showed that respondents were well exposed to the “Let the Poor Breathe” video and their main sources of exposure were WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook. The study also found that respondents had negative perception of the comment, seeing it as a mockery of the poor after his economic policies of fuel subsidy removal and floating of the Naira which led to inflation in the country. The respondents see President Tinubu as being insincere towards the poor as his harsh economic policies have worsened the condition of the poor in Nigeria. The study recommends that President Tinubu should introduce short-term policies that will reduce the hardship faced by many Nigerians, including the poor, in addition to palliatives he has promised to give to the poor.