President Bola Tinubu’s Reputation Beyond Redemption, Says Atiku’s Aide
ABUJA/Nigeria: Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, has delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s reputation, asserting that not even a thousand media aides can salvage it from the depths of scandal. Shaibu made this declaration on Monday in response to the establishment of a new media directorate and the appointment of five additional aides by the Tinubu administration.
The newly appointed aides, including Mr. Fela Durotoye, Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo, Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe, Mr. Aliyu Audu, and Mr. Francis Adah Abah, were seen by Shaibu as a confirmation of his earlier warning, dated September 18, in which he had predicted the formation of a propaganda unit within the Tinubu government.
Shaibu remarked, “I warned on September 18 that the Tinubu government was getting frustrated after being exposed for their many lies and that they would set up a propaganda unit. Now they have established a media and publicity directorate. This brings to 20 the number of media advisers appointed by Tinubu.”
Furthermore, Shaibu criticized the increasing number of non-statutory appointments under Tinubu’s leadership, particularly within the media sector. He highlighted the government’s ongoing certificate forgery scandal and the looming release of FBI files regarding a heroin case against Tinubu in the United States, suggesting that these issues have prompted the administration’s desperate attempts at image repair.
Shaibu also questioned the priorities of a government that appointed more media advisers than economic aides, emphasizing that propaganda alone cannot address the country’s pressing issues, such as economic challenges, security concerns, and infrastructure deficiencies.
He concluded by warning that, like the character Squealer in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” who used propaganda to manipulate the community, the excess of media aides could only create an illusion of progress, but it could not deliver tangible benefits to the Nigerian people.
Phrank Shaibu’s critique underscores the challenges facing President Tinubu’s administration and questions the efficacy of a growing media team in mitigating the issues tarnishing the president’s reputation.
