A video circulating on social media falsely claims to show President Bola Tinubu delivering a bleak message to Nigerians during his 2026 New Year’s address.
The short clip features Tinubu telling Nigerians that there was nothing else he could do to ease the economic hardship facing the country.
An X user, Obiasogu David, posted the video with the caption:
“Listen to Tinubu, the ‘President’ of Nigeria, delivering a ‘New Year’ speech that was supposed to give his people motivation and hope.”
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As of January 7, 2026, the post had attracted over 2,000 reposts and more than 5,000 reposts, and thousands of comments, many of which suggested viewers believed the clip was recent.
CLAIM
Video shows President Bola Tinubu speaking during his 2026 New Year’s address, admitting to a bleak economic outlook.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
The claim emerged amid heightened political tension, with Nigeria approaching another general election cycle and ongoing public debates over economic reforms, inflation, fuel pricing, and insecurity. These conditions have fuelled scepticism toward the current administration and increased the virality of politically charged content online.
A keyword search of Tinubu’s statements in the video shows that the clip dates back to July 2023, when the president addressed Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast following the removal of fuel subsidy. The earlier and longer version was posted by Channels TV on 31 July 2023.
During that address, Tinubu explained that the decision was unavoidable, stating that if there were alternative ways to fix the economy without removing the subsidy, he would have taken them.
READ ALSO : Video does not show Tinubu’s response to Trump’s military action threat
His full statement reads:
“I had promised to reform the economy for the long-term good by fighting the major imbalances that had plagued our economy. Ending the subsidy and the preferential exchange rate system were key to this fight. This fight is to define the fate and future of our nation. Much is in the balance.
“Our economy is going through a tough patch and you are being hurt by it, I know. The cost of fuel has gone up. Food and other prices have followed it. Households and businesses are struggling. Things seem anxious and uncertain. I understand the hardship you face. I wish there were other ways. But there is not. If there were, I would have taken that route as I came here to help not hurt the people and nation that I love so dearly. What I can offer and immediate is to reduce the burden of the current economic situation, which has imposed on all of us.”
The removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023 led to a sharp rise in petrol prices and living costs, sparking nationwide debate and criticism at the time. The viral clip is a segment from that 2023 broadcast and has no connection to events in 2026.
Further checks show that President Tinubu did not deliver a live broadcast for the 2026 New Year. Instead, his New Year message was released in text form, where he struck a notably different tone.
In the 2026 message, Tinubu expressed optimism, citing moderating inflation, improved foreign reserves, increased investment inflows, and signs of economic recovery following reforms implemented in 2025.
VERDICT
The claim that the video shows President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 New Year’s address is MISLEADING. The clip is from a 2023 nationwide broadcast on fuel subsidy removal and has been wrongly presented as a recent New Year’s speech.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
