Zenco, City Boy Movement, and the Politics of Profit

Reports have emerged that billionaire businessman Zenco, alongside other influential Eastern businessmen, has donated millions worth of buses to the City Boy Movement, a youth support group backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. While framed as grassroots mobilisation, the move has sparked intense debate, particularly in Nigeria’s South-East, where scepticism toward the federal government remains high.

The South-East, dominated by the Igbo, has historically felt sidelined in Nigeria’s federal power structure. The region’s support for Peter Obi in 2023 highlighted a deep desire for political recognition and empowerment. Yet, reports of Eastern businessmen publicly backing Tinubu suggest a shift; a pragmatic alignment with the ruling government, raising questions about motivation.

Observers suggest that in Nigeria, business success is rarely divorced from politics. Contracts, import licenses, regulatory approvals, and federal projects often flow through political channels. Aligning with the ruling party can

offer businesses protection, access, and influence a temptation difficult for any major player to ignore.

The City Boy Movement has become a prominent youth network for pro-Tinubu advocacy. The donation of buses by Zenco and other elites is seen not only as logistical support but also as symbolic influence, signalling to grassroots networks that Eastern businessmen are actively participating in the political project of the current administration.

For many, this raises the question:Are these businessmen acting as community leaders representing Igbo interests, or are they securing political favour to protect and expand their enterprises?

Nigeria’s political economy often blurs the line between public service and private gain. In regions like the South-East, where federal projects are historically limited, political alignment can appear as a strategic move for survival and profit.

Critics argue that by backing Tinubu, these businessmen are prioritising personal and economic interests over the broader aspirations of their people. The optics of billionaires associating themselves with a government viewedscepticallyy by many Eastern citizensfuels concerns that elite endorsement is more about access and contracts than genuine regional empowerment.

While governors and political heavyweights may defend alignment with the federal government as pragmatic, ordinary citizens and youth groups remain wary. Many view these endorsements as detached from the real frustrations of the people, such as insecurity, economic hardship, and marginalisation.

The case of Zenco and the City Boy Movement underscores a wider truth about Nigerian politics: political alignment often functions as currency. For businessmen, proximity to power can dictate whether their enterprises flourish, survive regulatory scrutiny, or gain a competitive edge.

In the South-East, this dynamic creates tension between elite strategy and popular sentiment. While elites may argue that backing the government ensures regional inclusion, grassroots voices worry that such alignment may reinforce systemic inequities rather than challenge them.

The donation of buses to a pro-Tinubu youth movement is more than a headline; it is a lens into the entangled realities of power, business, and politics in Nigeria. For Eastern elites, alignment with the federal government may offer protection, opportunity, and influence. For ordinary citizens, it may appear as a prioritisation of profit over people.

The critical question remains:Are these moves about empowering the South-East or preserving elite advantage? In Nigeria’s political economy, the answer is often both, and the consequences for public trust are profound.