Nigerians blast Femi Adesina, say Buhari never encouraged former presidents
Nigerians have responded to the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, who said on Thursday that ‘some people’ are not encouraging the president in his efforts to secure Nigeria, revive the economy, and fight insecurity.
They reminded Adesina that Buhari has never encouraged any former president before him to resolve problems that have faced the country.
Saleh Abubakar, a trader in Kano told NigerianSketch that “even the insecurity that Buhari’s government has been unsuccessfully battling has been bugging the country before he came in as president. But, what was his contribution to the resolution of the insecurity wahala in Nigeria when late Umar Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan were presidents? Nothing!
“Buhari was so cynical, so sadistic and so detached from the Nigerian problems at that time. I heard him asking journalists ‘where is the Biko Haram’ when he came to Kano for a function. He never believed in supporting any of the former presidents.”
Abdulkarim Abba also said “Buhari never even tried to understand Nigeria’s economic problems before he became president. He recklessly dismissed petroleum subsidy as non-existent and went on some very unrealistic and perhaps uneducated economic analysis. Now, he has continued to pay the subsidy at a far higher rate than any former president, and has not been able to solve any problem.”
Uhenna Chidi sent a message to NigerianSketch to say “The man knew nothing but was so arrogant. He saw nothing good in anyone. He kept criticising all former Nigerian presidents and never had any imput in helping Nigeria. He was only interested in becoming president, and now that he is president, all he has been doing is complaining.”
Adesina has accused the Nigerian media of paying less attention to the achievements of Buhari, particularly those bordering on wins against insecurity.
Adesina made the allegations in an article titled, ‘The story that didn’t hug the headlines’, and shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday.
He noted that rather than showcase Buhari’s achievements on same topic, his traducers prefer to critise him openly and look away when he deserves some credits.
Making reference to the Global Terrorism Index 2022 report released last week by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) where Nigeria recorded the second-biggest reduction in deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, Adesina noted that both the Nigerian media and Buhari’s critic failed to give the achievements deserving coverage and mention respectively.
“It is something that should hug the headlines, dominate the talk shows, go viral on social media, and be of interest to social commentators. But not a murmur, nor a whisper, as I said earlier.
“As if in a conspiracy of silence, nobody talked about the report. The media didn’t report it, and those that did, superciliously tucked it away in a place where you would need to put on the torchlight before you would see it,” he said.
He added, “Now, just imagine that the same report had indicated that there was a spike in Boko Haram killings in Nigeria, with the carnage exceeding that of the previous year by 100 per cent. All hell would have broken loose. It would be lead headline in most publications.
“Some television stations would scroll the story in their news bar round the clock, for many days. It would be the topic of discussion on morning and evening discussion programs. We would be almost deafened by the cacophony. So-called security experts and social activists would be invited, and they would be pontificating all day.”
He also wrote, “President Muhammadu Buhari came our way in 2015, promising to secure the country, revive the economy, and fight corruption.
“Rather than encourage him, what some people had been engaged in is sticking a pin into the soft underbelly of the various wars. No plaudits. No bravo. No encouragement. He didn’t do this, he didn’t do that, is all they are interested in.
“The economy recorded 3.4% growth last year, the best since 2014, no murmur, no whisper. The anti-corruption war has seen convictions in thousands between 2015 and now, yet, what interests some people is how the war is allegedly selective, even without a scintilla of evidence.
“And when there are strides in the battle against insecurity, their narrative remains the same. Oh, life is nasty, brutish, and short here.
Adesina noted that despite gains being recorded in some critical sectors, “the pessimists have not changed their tongues, nor their minds”.
“When you exhibit loud silence about positive developments in your country, and scream blue murder when there are reversals, you are a hypocrite, a hater of your country, and a hater of all that is good. Sad, dolorous, mournful,” he wrote.
He was however schooled in the principle of karma as Tanla Rowland said “Buhari is only reaping what he sowed.”
SOURCE: NigerianSketch
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