Reuben Abati i know is a
man of letter; i always love and enjoy his articles any day any time. While
Femi Fani-Kayode ,thou he may look controversial at times, but he do talk
frankly and sense. Over the weekend, the
a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and special Adviser to
President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati engaged
each other in a war of words.
Fani-Kayode had, in an
article which widely circulated online last week, described Jonathan as a
“President without balls.” He alleged in the article that “Nigeria has become
an abattoir of human flesh and blood under the tenure of President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan; and all those who support him (Jonathan) should bury their heads in
shame.”
He went further to say
that the “greatest error, the worst tragedy and misfortune” that Nigerians ever
made is the fact that “a meek lamb ended up taking a throne that was designed
and prepared for a lion.’’
Femi Adeoya ,in a tweet
to Abati, asked, “Sir, Fani-Kayode did raise some issues about the President in
the article. Can you explain and address a few of them?”
Abati, in his response,wrote,
“Femi Fani-Kayode is a commentator without sense,” .
But Fani-Kayode, fired
back on Abati and twitted :“Reuben Abati is a peasant without breeding,”
The bitter exchange of
words by these two government benefactors has divided the ranks of Nigerians on
social media.
Godwin Adukwu , twitted
that “Every king worth his salt must have the spirit of the lion and the warrior
in him to a certain extent. Whether you are a king or a subject, courage is the
greatest of all the virtues. Would someone please tell our President?” Adukwu
wrote.
One Lanre Ankinwumi, in a tweet to Abati
wrote, “What Fani-Kayode said is the thought of many Nigerians. Even the blind
knows when he is hungry. Almost all units of the education sector, some in the
health sector, the Corporate Affairs Commission, etc., are all on strike, and
President Jonathan and his cohorts still think they are right? Boko Haram
forces 1,000 teachers to flee, 50 schools burnt, 60 schools forced to close and
we say Boko Haram is not winning.”
Another Twitter user, Shina Abdulfatah, stated
that, “When people trade money for honour, we have a case of a man who was on
the side of the truth before he got a job at Aso Rock. The rest is history. I’m
sure if Abati hasn’t gotten any appointment by now, he would be at the
forefront of people writing articles on Jonathan’s failures.
“Fani-Kayode’s article
finished Jonathan and his cocoons. Jonathan doesn’t have balls indeed! Instead
of Abati to call his boss and advise him, he is subbing Fani-Kayode here on
Twitter. Is that your job?”
But, those who
pitched their tent with Abati said he shouldn’t have dignified Fani-Kayode with
a response, as doing so amounted to dignifying “nonsense.”
However, some of Abati’s social media admirers, Boatman Eldy
and John Mathew-Edekin wrote on Twitter that Abati should not allow
name-calling to be his forte, as such could have a dent on his credentials.
Eldy said, “Sir, I will appreciate it that you
concentrate on important national assignments and leave that man described as
Femi Fani-Kayode alone.
“It is only people who
are sick in the head that see reason with what he (Fani-Kayode) says.
Fani-Kayode should know for sure that Abati is above his standards. Fani-Kayode
should tell us what he has actually accomplished in life rather than
controversy?”
John Mathew-Edekin,
wrote, “You (Fani-Kayode) will be more confused than he (Jonathan) appears if
you are in his position. You seem to take pleasure in bringing people down for
selfish purposes rather than engage in constructive criticism that can move the
nation forward. It’s high time we started placing national interest before
personal, ethnic, religious and political interest.”
Moreover, some Nigerians
on social media appear to be neither here nor there.
Omolara Olusaiye
lamented on Twitter “See what governance has become! Jokes and foolishness in
high places. How unfortunate!”.
While Kunle Afolayan
said, “To think we are still mourning the tragic plane crash and 71 murdered
students, yet the best coming out of these men is emptiness, instead of setting
a better example.
“You will rather fight
in the mud shamelessly. You are visionless men. This Twitter fight showcases
the exact state of mind of our leaders.”
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