Prince Bidemi Akintunde, popularly known as Stainless, Director of the City Boy Movement in the United Kingdom, speaks with the publisher of KosofePost on the movement’s diaspora strategy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the 2027 elections, the Japa phenomenon, and his political relationships in Kosofe.
The City Boy Movement (CBM) is a civic and political advocacy platform that seeks to mobilise young Nigerians and connect citizens at home with those in the diaspora in support of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In this exclusive interview, Prince Bidemi Akintunde, the movement’s UK Director, discusses how Nigerians abroad can contribute to national development, the movement’s electoral ambitions for 2027, and his commitment to party unity in Kosofe.
KosofePost: What specific potential do you see in the global Nigerian diaspora to advance the vision of the City Boy Movement?
Prince Bidemi Akintunde: As the City Boy Movement Director in the United Kingdom, I see the global Nigerian diaspora as a tremendous reservoir of talent, innovation, enterprise, international relationships, and national pride.
Our compatriots abroad have acquired valuable skills, built successful businesses, contributed to world-class institutions, and established networks that can open new opportunities for Nigeria. The task before us, as directed by our patron, Barrister Seyi Tinubu, and in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, is to connect these strengths to a shared vision of national development.
For the City Boy Movement, our responsibility is to create a platform that transforms diaspora goodwill into meaningful action by empowering young people, encouraging entrepreneurship, facilitating knowledge transfer, building international partnerships, and supporting community development.
For the 2027 general elections, the movement has pledged to mobilise 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Diaspora chapters intend to contribute through informed political discussions, sharing verified information about government policies, engaging family members and communities back home, and supporting lawful campaign activities.
Our UK chapter focuses on five areas: policy awareness, constructive dialogue, sharing professional experiences, community engagement, and electoral awareness. We organise discussions, maintain connections with hometown associations and professional networks, and encourage people to obtain accurate information about voter eligibility and lawful participation.
Ultimately, Nigerians in the diaspora can contribute meaningfully by helping people at home make informed decisions about candidates, policies, and the country’s future. For the 2027 presidential election, our movement supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
KosofePost: How do you plan to align the expectations of Nigerians living abroad with the socioeconomic realities and reforms happening at home?
Akintunde: Our plan is to bridge the gap between the expectations of Nigerians in the diaspora and the realities at home through honest communication, constructive engagement, and practical action.
First, we have created platforms for regular dialogue where Nigerians abroad can better understand the challenges, opportunities, and impacts of ongoing reforms while ensuring their concerns and recommendations are heard.
Second, we promote transparency and evidence-based discussions. We recognise that reforms can bring short-term hardship, while their long-term benefits depend on effective implementation and accountability.
Finally, through the City Boy Movement, we will encourage diaspora investment, skills transfer, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment to translate expectations into tangible results.
Our approach is to build trust through truth, manage expectations through dialogue, and demonstrate progress through measurable impact. Nigeria’s development requires partnership between those at home and those abroad.
KosofePost: The movement actively supports the Renewed Hope Agenda. How will you explain these policies to a diaspora audience that is often critical of domestic governance?
Akintunde: As the City Boy Movement in the UK, we will continue to communicate President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by explaining the administration’s key policies, the progress recorded, and the challenges Nigerians continue to face. Our approach is to promote informed dialogue supported by evidence and transparency rather than relying solely on political rhetoric.
Among the policies I would highlight are fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms, student loans, tax reforms, infrastructure development, and efforts towards economic stabilisation.
The removal of the petrol subsidy was intended to reduce fiscal pressure and redirect public resources towards national development. However, we must acknowledge that higher transport and living costs have imposed real hardship on households.
Foreign exchange reforms were introduced to address market distortions and improve transparency, with the broader goal of strengthening investor confidence. The Nigerian Education Loan Fund provides eligible students with access to higher education financing, while the government’s tax reforms aim to simplify tax administration and improve the business environment.
Major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, are intended to improve connectivity and facilitate economic activity. Their completion, costs, and public value should remain important measures of success.
The broader question is whether economic reforms will translate into better living standards, more jobs, improved purchasing power, and greater opportunities for Nigerians. These are the outcomes people want to see.
As movement director in the UK, my responsibility is to communicate the administration’s policies confidently but honestly, explain their objectives, acknowledge their consequences, and allow constructive criticism from Nigerians abroad.
Our responsibility is not simply to defend the administration. It is to explain its policies accurately, promote accountability, and help connect the Renewed Hope Agenda to tangible improvements in people’s lives.
KosofePost: What is your strategy for sustaining political engagement and enthusiasm among Nigerians in the diaspora over the multi-year period leading to the 2027 elections?
Akintunde: Our strategy is to build a consistent, inclusive, and results-driven diaspora engagement structure that goes beyond election-season activities.
We intend to sustain engagement through regular town halls, policy discussions, networking events, webinars, and digital platforms that allow Nigerians abroad to share information and discuss national issues.
We are also engaging students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders through mentorship, leadership development, and skills-sharing initiatives.
Another priority is policy education and accountability. We want to explain the Renewed Hope Agenda, highlight documented progress, acknowledge challenges, and create opportunities for feedback from diaspora communities.
We are equally focused on building sustainable grassroots structures across the UK, with clearly defined responsibilities and measurable objectives that continue beyond major political events.
I have carefully appointed executive members and coordinators who are professionals in their respective fields. I believe in putting the right people in the right positions, and our appointed members are doing their best to advance the movement’s objectives.
As the 2027 elections approach, we will continue to promote informed civic participation, accurate electoral information, and compliance with applicable electoral laws. Our goal is lasting engagement built on trust, transparency, and meaningful participation, not temporary excitement driven by elections.
KosofePost: How do you intend to navigate conversations around the Japa wave and turn brain drain into an opportunity for Nigeria?
Akintunde: My approach is to reframe the Japa phenomenon from a conversation about brain drain into an opportunity for brain gain and knowledge transfer.
I recognise that many Nigerians leave the country in search of better opportunities. We must acknowledge the economic and social challenges driving those decisions rather than criticising people for seeking better lives.
As City Boy Movement Director in the UK, I intend to build bridges between Nigerians abroad and those at home through mentorship, investment opportunities, skills transfer, professional networks, and partnerships that support job creation.
The objective is to encourage Nigerians abroad to contribute to national development, whether by returning home, investing in local businesses, mentoring young people, creating jobs, or sharing their expertise remotely.
Diaspora engagement should therefore go beyond political conversations. It should create practical opportunities for Nigerians abroad to contribute their knowledge, networks, and resources to development at home.
KosofePost: As the UK Director of the City Boy Movement, what is your personal relationship with Ikosi-Isheri LCDA Chairman Princess Samiat Bada, incumbent federal lawmaker Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, and Mayor Dele Oshinowo, the APC candidate for the 2027 Kosofe Federal Constituency election?
Akintunde: [Smiles] These are my people! My relationship with Princess Samiat Bada, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, and Mayor Dele Oshinowo is built on political bonds, shared party affiliation, and our common connection to Ikosi-Isheri LCDA and Kosofe Federal Constituency. We are one family.
As a stakeholder in Ikosi-Isheri and Kosofe at large, a three-time aspirant for the chairmanship position, and a member of the All Progressives Congress, I have a longstanding interest in the political development and progress of our constituency.
I know these individuals well, and we share a common political platform, although we each have our respective responsibilities and ambitions.
As Director of Diaspora for the City Boy Movement in the UK and a committed APC member in Kosofe, I recognise the importance of maintaining constructive relationships with political leaders and stakeholders across the constituency.
My priority is to encourage unity within the party, strengthen engagement with Nigerians in the diaspora, and build partnerships that translate into meaningful development for our people.
Ultimately, our shared party affiliation should provide a platform for collaboration, mutual respect, and service to the people of Ikosi-Isheri, Kosofe, and Lagos State.
KosofePost: As a former three-time aspirant for the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA chairmanship, how do you intend to work with party leadership and other stakeholders in Kosofe to galvanise support for APC candidates?
Akintunde: As a former three-time aspirant for the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA chairmanship and a committed APC member, I understand the importance of party unity, consultation, and collaboration.
My approach is to maintain constructive relationships with party leaders, elected representatives, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders across Ikosi-Isheri and Kosofe.
I strongly believe that the party is supreme and that its decisions should guide members. I have remained loyal to the party since the days of the Alliance for Democracy, and my commitment has never wavered.
Where the party stands, I stand. My loyalty is to our great party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, my patron and leader, Barrister Seyi Tinubu, the Governance Advisory Council, and party leaders within and beyond Kosofe Federal Constituency.
As a dedicated party member, I remain committed to supporting the party’s duly nominated and endorsed candidates. I consider it my responsibility to contribute towards the party’s performance in presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship, and State House of Assembly elections.
As Director of Diaspora for the City Boy Movement in the UK and Vice Chairman of the Lagos State APC UK Chapter, I will also work to strengthen communication between diaspora communities and party structures at home, encouraging civic participation, policy engagement, and the exchange of ideas and expertise.
I believe lasting political cooperation must be built on mutual respect, inclusion, and a shared commitment to community development. By listening to stakeholders, addressing legitimate concerns, and encouraging peaceful, issue-based engagement, we can strengthen internal cohesion and democratic participation.
My goal is to contribute constructively to party unity while ensuring that the aspirations of our people remain central to political engagement in Ikosi-Isheri and Kosofe.
KosofePost: As Director of the City Boy Movement in the diaspora, what plans do you have to secure support for APC candidates, from the presidential election to the governorship and other contests in 2027?
Akintunde: My plan is to build a structured and sustainable engagement platform that connects Nigerians in the UK and across the global diaspora with political developments and civic participation in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Our focus is on strengthening communication with party leadership, elected representatives, community associations, and diaspora professionals. We also intend to organise town halls and policy discussions and ensure that Nigerians abroad have access to accurate information about candidates, policies, and electoral processes.
We want to encourage constructive dialogue, promote peaceful participation, and establish stronger connections between diaspora communities and stakeholders at home, particularly in Ikosi-Isheri and Kosofe.
We have also set plans for our executives and members to reach out to family members, friends, and their communities in Nigeria. Through these conversations, we aim to explain the administration’s policies and what the reforms mean for Nigeria in the short, medium, and long term, while encouraging support for APC candidates across the board.
Our objective is to build an organised, informed, and actively engaged diaspora network that contributes meaningfully to Nigeria’s political and socioeconomic development throughout the electoral period and beyond.
Ultimately, we want diaspora engagement to be sustained, organised, and focused on the country’s future rather than limited to election campaigns.