Nigerian comedian Basketmouth has expressed his frustration with the state of Nigeria’s economy and leadership.
In a recent interview with AFRIMMA, he highlighted the alarming rate of inflation and the naira’s depreciation, which has significantly impacted everyday Nigerians.
Basketmouth criticized the popular saying “E go better” (It will get better), arguing that the situation is actually worsening.
He questioned the government’s policies and actions, citing the recent increase in passport fees as an example.
The comedian also speculated that the government may be orchestrating these economic challenges to encourage citizens to emigrate, thereby generating revenue from increased passport fees.
However, he sarcastically expressed “hope” for a better future, acknowledging the seeming pipe dream.
He said:
“There’s nothing that can happen, quote me anywhere. Think about it, in 1970, the year I was born, it was one naira to a dollar and this year it’s one dollar to 1600 naira. There was never a time from that time to date that the dollar crashed and went back to what it was and stayed there. It has never happened; think about it.”
“Every time it changes, all the conversations you’d be hearing is ‘E go better, E go better.’ it’s getting worse, bro. What are the policies? And what have they done? Now 100 pages for a passport is 100,000 naira; they just increased it”.
“I suspect that our government planned this thing to make the Nigerian population suffer. So that when they suffer they can now want to japa, then they will increase the price of the passport and they’d make money”.
“It’s not like I’ve given up hope; I’m hopeful. Maybe one day, the country will be better. Let’s all believe in that pipe dream. It’s done, it’s over.”