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Mr Macaroni says Nigerians are not ready for the change they claim to want, because people complain but don’t put in the work.
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He made the remarks on the In My Opinion podcast, discussing the readiness of Nigerians for the change they clamour for.
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He asked what can be done differently, saying complaining has not gotten people very far.
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Earlier in September, he said he had cut back on criticising the government because he was tired of repeating the same arguments.
November 13, (THEWILL) – Nollywood actor and comedian Mr Macaroni has once again questioned whether Nigerians are ready for the change they say they want.
Speaking on the In My Opinion podcast, the actor, whose real name is Adebowale Adedayo, said people talk about change but do not act like they mean it. “We are not ready. We don’t act as if we are ready”, he said.
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He pointed to years of complaints that have led nowhere. “We complain about these things, but where has complaining gotten us to?” he asked, adding that Nigerians have complained “over and over again” for a very long time.
He did not stop at the question. He asked what could be done differently, and whether it was time to try.
His main worry, he explained, is that the conversation never moves beyond talk.
“We think we want the change, but we are not ready to put in the work to bring [about the change]”, he said.
The remarks come from a segment of the podcast built around the question “Are Nigerians ready for change?” In the same episode, he spoke about corruption, leadership and the role ordinary people play in changing society.
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It is not the first time the actor has made the point. In September, he explained why he had cut back on his public criticism of the government, saying he was tired of repeating the same arguments and that backlash and threats had added to the strain. He said at the time that the interview that sparked the discussion was recorded more than two years earlier, but that its concerns still held.
He also made clear that stepping back did not mean he had stopped caring. He said he would be ready to speak up again when Nigerians are ready, and that he wanted to use the break to focus on himself and his art.
Mr Macaroni, who has built a following through satirical skits and film roles, has long been vocal on national issues. He was among the public figures who spoke out during the 2020 #EndSARS protests, and he took part in public discussions ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Why He Stepped Back
In September, Mr Macaroni responded to a Wazobia FM video that revived his earlier remarks about threats he received during the #EndSARS protests.
In posts on X, he said his reason for stepping back was exhaustion from saying the same things without seeing citizens act on them, and that the threats were not the main reason.
Gertrude Oby is a writer and journalist passionate about the creative industries. Works span fashion, film, media, art, and culture.