Hardship has forced Nigerians to abandon Tinubu’s signature cap – Atiku’s aide
Phrank Shaibu, an aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has observed that supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have stopped wearing his signature cap due to the current economic hardship in the country.
The cap, which has been a constant part of Tinubu’s political wardrobe since the 1980s, has evolved into a symbol of political allegiance.
In an opinion piece titled “De-cap-itated,” Shaibu argued that the cap has become a source of embarrassment for Nigerians and Tinubu supporters alike.
Shaibu noted that during the 2023 presidential campaign and the early days of Tinubu’s administration, his supporters proudly wore the “Emilokan caps” with the broken shackle symbol.
However, he claimed that the reality now is that no one wears the caps anymore because they have become symbols of oppression and embarrassment.
Shaibu alleged that the broken shackles symbol has become synonymous with fascist-style control of state powers and appropriation of state assets for personal gain.
He also stated that it is now clear that Tinubu did not build Lagos and is not the progressive leader he claimed to be.
“During the 2023 presidential campaign and up till the early days of the Tinubu administration, his supporters were proud of adorning the broken shackle symbol on their caps in avid imitation of President Tinubu – a fad that soon became known as the Emilokan caps.
“But today, the reality is that no one goes about wearing the Emilokan caps again for the simple reason that it has become the symbols of oppression and a sore source of embarrassment to the supporters of President Tinubu.
“But now, it is clear to all that the broken shackles personality symbol of Bola Tinubu is not about freedom from oppression but about a fascist style control of state powers. Everyone now knows that Emilokan is not about shared prosperity for all but about a rabid appropriation of state assets to personal ownership.
“Everyone now knows that Tinubu didn’t build Lagos. It is also clear for everyone to see that Tinubu is not Awolowo and that all the years of imagining himself as a progressive has ended up as an iconic political impersonation fraud of grand proportions.
“The defeat of the German army led to the swastika becoming an item never to be displayed anymore in the public space. So, too, has the Emilokan caps become relics of political deception and disappointment in the wardrobes of those who used to wear it. Even the once-eager vendors who proudly displayed the Emilokan caps at bustling traffic lights and strategic street corners now find themselves burdened by them. What was once a prized symbol of political fervor has become an unwanted relic, gathering dust as no one bothers to ask for them anymore.
“The caps, once seen as a beacon of hope and power, have now turned into silent reminders of promises unfulfilled, leaving these sellers with a product that has lost its allure and meaning.,” the piece read in part.
