Omoyele Sowore, leader of the #RevolutionNow movement, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to question Nigeria’s government, specifically raising doubts about the legacy and effectiveness of the e-Naira digital currency.
The e-Naira was launched under former President Muhammadu Buhari and then-Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele. In his post, Sowore humorously asks if the e-Naira has been replaced by “T-Pain’s T-NAIRA.”
The term “T-Pain” is used satirically as a nickname for current President Bola Tinubu, reflecting public dissatisfaction with his economic policies. This nickname references American rapper T-Pain, famous for hits like “Bartender” and “Rappa Ternt Sanga,” and has grown popular on social media as a symbol of frustration over Tinubu’s governance.
The nickname’s origin lies in a remix of T-Pain’s 2007 song “Buy U A Drank” by Nigerian satirist Bello Galadanci, also known as Dan Bello. Unlike the original, Dan Bello’s version, titled “Nigerians, I Go Make You Poor,” is a critique of Nigeria’s economic struggles under Tinubu’s administration, including the removal of fuel subsidies and a volatile exchange rate.
In his post, Sowore shared, “Where is @Mbuhari and @GodwinIEmefiele’s E-Naira? Has it been replaced with T-Pain’s T-NAIRA?” alongside a picture labeling the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “terrorist organization” with the caption “Government of Scammers!”
The e-Naira initially launched with two apps: the eNaira speed wallet and eNaira merchant wallet, both available on Google Play Store and Apple Store. At its introduction, Emefiele claimed it would position Nigeria as a digital currency leader in Africa, especially after Buhari’s administration restricted banks from cryptocurrency transactions. He stated it would make Nigeria “one of the first countries in Africa, and indeed the globe, to adopt the digitisation of its national currency.”
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