The video of President Bola Tinubu allegedly addressing Nigerians for the second time in a week over the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest is still whipping up reactions, with the latest from Paul Ibe, a Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Basically, Ibe is calling on the Presidency to tender an apology to Nigerians.
This apology is for the misleading appeal video posted on Tinubu’s X handle on Wednesday.
Paul Ibe said Nigerians thought President Tinubu showed empathy to their course through the video.
Sadly, they only to realised they were misled.
Ibe argued that the controversy from the video showed lack of coordination among the President’s inner cabinet.
Nigerians Have Lost Confidence In Tinubu
He accused the presidency of spreading fake news to citizens and engaging in misinformation.
According to him, this dysfunctional narrative is why Nigerians have lost confidence in the Tinubu administration.
Atiku’s aide shared his reaction on Thursday.
In his words: “The video went viral on social media and it was adjudged to have shown more empathy for the concerns of protesting Nigerians.
This is unlike the shambolic speech by the President on Sunday that will forever be remembered in ignominy.”
“Curiously, much later in the evening of the same day, presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, made a post on his X handle.
He told the country that the video clip that was posted on the President’s handle, ‘is not a new video. It’s a clip from a broadcast he made last year’.
The Character Of The Tinubu Presidency
“The scenario says a lot about the character of the Tinubu presidency, the proficiency of his media managers, and the attitude that the presidency accords the current #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.
“For a start, what the Tinubu presidency did with the old video is to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians, with a view to distract them.
It’s a mannerism that is symptomatic of this presidency.
“This president and his media managers are a class act in propaganda.
“It is indeed shameless that in a time where misinformation is being blamed for public outrage in many parts of the world, the Nigerian government is caught red-handed in the act, adopting it as a state policy,” Ibe said.
Flip-Flop Episode
Ibe continued: “The flip-flopping episode that played out in the management of the President’s social media handle typifies the Tinubu administration’s policy flip-flops and trial-and-error policies.
It is for this very reason that the country has been on a tight noose since the beginning of the administration.
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“Obviously, the president’s media team knew they did a poor job in the Sunday broadcast by the president.
Now, in trying to make amends, came out to do what they know how to do best: deploy propaganda.
“This type of dysfunctional narrative is why Nigerians have lost confidence in the Tinubu administration.
It is obvious even to the blind and the deaf that this government is deficient in credibility.
“As a matter of urgency, the Nigerian people deserve an unreserved apology from the Tinubu presidency.
This is for leading them into a tailspin of misinformation and the attendant consequence of bad governance,” he concluded.
