First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has come under criticism for a comment she directed at Patience, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, during her chieftaincy installation as ‘Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua’ in Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Sunday.

In a viral clip shared on social media, Mrs. Tinubu, while acknowledging dignitaries during her acceptance speech, addressed the former First Lady, who was seated among the guests.

Clad in her white ceremonial attire, Oluremi Tinubu paused her greetings to address Mrs. Jonathan directly, a moment that quickly generated disapproval among Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter).

In the viral clip, the First Lady said: “Your Eminence, the Sultan and all the other Obas. Mama P, I thank you ooo, you will not smile? Mama P, I’m greeting you. Thank you very much for being there.”

She concluded her greetings by thanking the traditional leaders: “But I said I wanted to greet our royal fathers who have come to honour Ooni and, by extension, me; everybody said I should just leave protocols. The Oloris can now sit down. I thank the royal fathers who came from far and near, and even a representative from my mother’s side is here. I thank you all. Today is really not a day of long speeches, I am glad and honoured.”

The interaction was perceived by netizens as awkwardly informal or as light-hearted banter that was inappropriate for the solemnity of the installation ceremony.

Reacting, a user who identified himself as Tochukwu on X said, “Her status may appear to have changed, but her innate mannerism remains as uncouth and as classless as it has always been.”

Another user on X, who identified as Wendu, wrote, “This woman is uncouth. Ordinarily, she’d be unfit to be called an elite, but looking at the characters in APC, she’s sadly one of the more ‘refined’ ones.”

He continued, “Oh, I’m not disappointed. She’s been this way even before becoming the first lady. So it’s not surprising. It’s more dramatic that she’s kept out of the spotlight for a large part of this term. Nigeria has rich people but hardly any elites. Aside from their financial wealth, nothing differentiates them from the average Nigerian.”

“Worst thing to ever happen to this nation is having this family as a figure,” one Tobi said on Facebook.

A user who identified as Mesiri opined, “You called the King of your mother’s Nation as the representative? Failed to salute him as it is traditionally required? Shameful.”

“I wonder what the Redeemed church saw in her that made them to make her a pastor? Is it her spiritual life or just her money? I am beginning to look at some churches differently,” another X user, Robustlife, asserted

Meanwhile, on the contrary, a user who identified as Kelez on X wrote, “We must not make issues out of nothing because she’s Tinubu. In my opinion, this is just a friendly and casual chat to make Mama Peace ease off or smile, but the way it came out may be crude, but the intent should be most important and not necessarily an insult.”

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