February 3, 2026
SUNTV Global | News
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has sharply criticised Senator Adams Oshiomhole over what he described as the lawmaker’s growing disconnect from the economic realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
Sowore’s remarks followed the circulation of a viral video showing the former Edo State governor aboard a luxury private jet, rubbing a woman’s foot mid-flight — a scene that has ignited widespread backlash on social media amid Nigeria’s worsening cost-of-living crisis.
Reacting to the footage, Sowore accused the senator of speaking from a position of extreme privilege while offering reassurances about falling food prices and economic recovery.
“When ‘Comrade’ Oshiomhole says food prices have dropped, he’s not speaking from the marketplace,” Sowore said. “He’s speaking from 30,000 feet.”
He added that anyone who could casually charter a private jet for personal indulgence was living in a “different economic universe” from millions of Nigerians struggling to afford basic food items.
“How would someone so insulated from daily struggle know the price of garri, rice or cooking oil?” Sowore asked.
“Hunger doesn’t register in first class, and inflation is invisible when your life runs on private jets and privilege.”
The video, first reported by SaharaReporters, has continued to fuel debate about the lifestyle of public officials at a time when many Nigerians are grappling with inflation, unemployment and business closures.
SaharaReporters later confirmed that the woman seen in the footage is not Oshiomhole’s wife, but a South African lifestyle influencer and adult-content creator who publicly describes herself as a “professional sugar baby.”
The controversy comes months after Oshiomhole publicly defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, insisting that the hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate unification was necessary for long-term recovery.
Speaking on Channels Television in December 2025, the senator acknowledged public frustration over rising prices but urged Nigerians to remain patient.
“There are huge challenges,” Oshiomhole said. “But if you look at the liabilities this president inherited, you’d understand why these steps were necessary.”
He likened the reforms to a painful medical operation, arguing that while the process was difficult, the economy was “healing” and that the worst phase had passed.
However, critics say the private jet video undermines Oshiomhole’s credibility, particularly given his background as a former labour leader who once positioned himself as a champion of workers and the poor.
For many Nigerians, Sowore’s criticism has reignited a broader question: can leaders who live far above the consequences of economic policy truly understand — or speak for — those bearing its weight?
