In 2020, during a plenary hearing on budget mismanagement at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the then-acting managing director of the commission, Daniel Pondei, slumped as lawmakers questioned him about missing funds.
In the now-viral clip, lawmakers scramble to assist him — someone pours water on his head, and he is eventually rushed out of the chamber. The news media, unsure how to frame the incident, reported that Pondei “slumped.” However, many observers were sceptical, believing it was a deliberate attempt to evade questioning.
That same clip is now at the centre of a viral TikTok trend. On Tuesday, TikToker Clinton Esan posted a video with the caption, “Me as a politician when they question me about missing funds, so I activate my corruption defense mechanism: collapse (allegedly).”
In the video, he mimics Pondei, pretending to slump on his table. The post, currently at 500k views, is one of many videos that have quickly gained traction, sparking a wave of similar videos under a new TikTok challenge: #CorruptTok.
What Is #CorruptTok?
As Nigeria’s economy worsens and demands for more government accountability grow, #CorruptTok has emerged as a way for young Nigerians to express their discontent — through humour.
It is a TikTok challenge where users mimic politicians or public officials caught in corruption scandals. Some creators have taken the videos up the notch by dressing as the subject.
In a video with the caption, “Me as a politician the moment an investigator tries to expose my corruption to the public,” the TikToker, Westernnkid dons a similar striped shirt as Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, a Ghanaian politician accused of using government funds to build two mansions worth over $20 million.
Who is the ideal subject of a #CorruptTok video?
Many viral #CorruptTok videos have featured President Bola Tinubu. One particularly popular video shows creators mimicking the president’s dance moves with the caption, “Me and my bro (head of EFCC) convincing our citizens that a snake swallowed the $130 million that we laundered.” It currently has over 400k views, even though President Tinubu was not in office in 2018, when Philomena Chieshe, a clerk at JAMB, claimed that a snake had swallowed north of ₦36 million.
But #CorruptTok isn’t limited to Nigerian politicians. A wide range of political leaders have been the subject of these videos. In one viral post with the caption, “When I appoint bro as Minister of Defense (he won us a game of Fortnite in 2018),” Ibrahim Traoré, the military ruler of Burkina Faso, is accused of nepotism.
Some creators have also focused their videos on corrupt civil servants, with videos highlighting lecturers demanding sex for grades and other abuses of power.
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How to create a #CorruptTok video?
1. Pick a Political Trope
In many of the videos posted online, creators have leaned on familiar corrupt politician tropes to make their point. Politicians making outrageous excuses for missing funds or collapsing to dodge questioning has been rampant with the challenge.
2. Use Viral Political Moments
In many videos, creators have used real-life political moments to convey their message. A good example is the Pondei video, but there have also been videos of the president dancing after announcing a budget.
3. Craft a Catchy POV Caption:
The caption makes or mars a #CorruptTok video. The idea of most of the videos has been to imagine how a corrupt leader might react during or after an act of corruption.
For instance, a video of the president arriving at an event with world leaders is captioned, “Me as a corrupt politician with my corruptshyt because they started a dangerous protest to end bad governance.”
4. Use Trending Sounds
Two songs have emerged as the unofficial soundtrack for #CorruptTok videos:
- “Lifestyle” by Rich Gang
- “Used to This” by Future feat Drake.
Both songs fit the theme of politicians enjoying luxury and wealth, making them perfect for the challenge.
Why is #CorruptTok trending?
With frustration over corruption growing, young Nigerians have found a creative way to call out public officials. #CorruptTok transforms serious political issues into entertaining, relatable content, making it an easy trend to engage with.
So, whether it’s a fake collapse, a bizarre excuse, or a dancing politician, #CorruptTok is exposing corruption across Africa — one viral video at a time.
