Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has shared details about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s breakfast preferences, saying the Nigerian leader often opts for simple meals rather than elaborate dishes.
Lawal made the remarks during an interview on Symfoni TV while reflecting on his interactions with Tinubu before he became president.
According to the former SGF, he visited Tinubu’s residence frequently and was familiar with the President’s eating habits, particularly his choice of breakfast.
Lawal said Tinubu is not someone who places much emphasis on food and often starts his day with light meals.
“Tinubu is not even somebody that likes to enjoy food. He will wake up in the morning and there is banana in his living room. He will eat banana and groundnut and that is his food. Or sometimes in the morning they bring ogi and moi-moi and he takes. I have never seen him eating akara. I go there any time of the day,” Lawal said.
According to him, bananas and groundnuts are among the President’s preferred breakfast choices, while on other occasions he eats ogi, a traditional fermented cereal porridge, together with moi-moi, a steamed bean pudding.
Lawal also remarked that despite his many visits to Tinubu’s home over the years, he had never seen him eat akara, the popular Nigerian bean cake that is commonly served with pap or bread as a breakfast meal.
The former SGF explained that his observations were based on the period before Tinubu assumed office as President, when he regularly visited the then-political leader and occasionally shared breakfast with him.
His comments offered a personal glimpse into the President’s lifestyle and eating habits outside the formal setting of public office.
Lawal suggested that Tinubu’s preference for relatively simple meals reflects a modest approach to food, despite his status as one of Nigeria’s most prominent political figures.
The interview touched on a range of issues relating to politics and governance, with Lawal also sharing personal anecdotes from his long-standing relationship with the President.
His remarks about Tinubu’s breakfast routine have since attracted attention, providing a lighter aspect of a conversation that largely focused on political developments and governance.
Although public attention often centers on government policies and political affairs, comments about the personal lifestyles of political leaders frequently generate public interest, offering insights into their routines away from official engagements.
Lawal’s account represents his personal observations from years of interacting with Tinubu before he assumed the country’s highest office and provides a glimpse into the President’s reported preference for simple breakfast meals.
