Nigerian Newspapers Plaster Tompolo's Birthday Message To Tinubu On Front-Pages

President Tinubu is celebrating his 72nd birthday today.
The president said the celebration would be low-key and advised his well-wishers to not advertise their wishes to him.
However, one of them shunned his plea and bought out the front-pages of national newspapers.

Eko Hot Blog reports that that Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has chosen to celebrate the 72nd birthday of President Bola Tinubu in a unique way by buying the front-pages of various national newspapers to send his message.

Tompolo is the chairperson of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, an oil pipeline surveillance firm that tackles crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

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His decision to buy out the front-pages of at least eight newspapers, including The Punch, Leadership, Daily Trust, Daily Sun, Nigerian Tribune, and TheGuardian, came despite the president’s plea for a “low-key” celebration.

Last Sunday, the presidency announced that Tinubu will not celebrate his 72nd birthday on March 29 “in deference to the challenging times” in the country.

It said the president “does not want any of his associates and numerous well-wishers across the country to organise any celebratory event on his behalf or in his name.”

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He also “enjoins friends and associates who may wish to place goodwill advertorials to kindly donate the money to charity organisations of their choice in his name.”

However, on Friday, Tompolo, a fomer leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), placed birthday messages for Tinubu on the front-pages of at least eight national dailies.

According to TheCable, a frontpage newspaper advert of the size Tompolo splurged on costs an average of N10 million.