Nollywood veteran Zack Orji has stirred fresh debate after openly defending his backing of President Bola Tinubu and urging Nigerians to show patience with the current economic reforms. The actor made the comments during a recent appearance on the KAA TRUTHS interview, where he criticised what he described as a habit of relying on unverified social media posts instead of doing proper research.
Orji argued that many citizens form strong opinions without checking facts, comparing the situation to the old saying about giving a dog a bad name.
“Nigerians don’t research. They run with what they see on social media and I will tell you that three quarters of what they see there aren’t true. They’re not well researched but just like the ‘give a dog a bad name so that you can kill it’ saying goes is what’s happening.”
He recalled being confronted last year in the UK by people questioning his support for the president. Orji said he pushed back by asking why he should not stand by the country’s leader if he believes the direction is right.
“He’s the president of my country. Am I supposed to not support the president of my country if I’m convinced he’s doing things the right way and being patient with him?”
The interviewer pointed out that for many Nigerians, lived experience speaks louder than data. In a candid rebuttal, the host said:
“The best information Nigerians have is their stomach. A hungry man knows that things are hard. He doesn’t need to research to know that.”
Orji acknowledged the hardship but framed it as part of necessary change. He compared reforms to treating a wound, saying the process must hurt before healing can occur.
“Reforms are not pleasant. They’re there to correct anomalies that have been around. It’s like nursing a wound. It’s not a pleasant process, it must hurt for it to heal and that’s what we’re going through right now.”
The actor went on to claim that positive shifts are already visible since Tinubu’s inauguration.
“If you check from the time of his inauguration as President to this instant, you’ll agree that things have changed. Prices of things have come down drastically. Foodstuffs have gotten cheaper and even the rate of dollar at that time is coming down and will still come down more.”
His remarks have drawn mixed—mostly angry—reactions online, with few praising the actor for speaking his mind while many others accused him of downplaying the daily struggles many face.