The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has issued a stern warning to Abuja-based automobile dealer Alamin Sarkinmota over a controversial promotional video that disparaged civil servants’ financial capacity. The Agency expressed strong disapproval of the dealer’s recent advertisement for a 2023 Mercedes-Benz C300 featuring artificial intelligence.
In the now-viral clip, Sarkinmota—popularly known as “Alamin Sarkinmota”—posed the question: “Can civil servants afford you?” to which the car’s AI system responded: “No! Maybe in 2062.”
NOA Director-General Lanre Issa-Onilu condemned the stunt in an official letter, stating: “At a time when Nigerians are passing through so much social pressure and in an environment where get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome is pervasive and material things are being promoted over and above dignity of labour and decent values, it is wrong to be speaking in such condescending terms about Nigerian civil servants.”
The agency emphasized the vital role of civil servants in nation-building, noting: “Civil servants across sectors are the ones who work hard to provide enabling environment for businesses like yours to thrive and prosper.”
Issa-Onilu further criticized the dealer for his “indecent” remarks toward those “who spend many years of their lives dedicated to driving the machinery of government.”
The NOA warned Sarkinmota—known for repeatedly targeting civil servants in his sales pitches—to be more mindful of his messaging: “We have taken the trouble to respond based on the feedback we are getting from many people who have watched your video skit… Kindly please take note.”
Concluding with a call for national unity, the DG added: “Please accept the assurance of my best wishes as we work together to build a resilient country where every cadre of citizen can thrive and be respected, a Nigeria where dignity of labour is valued over and above material things.”
This reprimand comes amid growing concerns about the widening wealth gap and the economic pressures facing Nigerian workers.
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