The Presidency, on Sunday, said no sincere Nigerian could pretend not to notice the achievements so far recorded by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its anti-corruption war.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement made available to journalists.
Shehu was reacting to a series of Buhari’s criticisms credited to a former House of Representatives member from Kano State, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, in the media.
He said although Mohammed was entitled to his opinion, he was not entitled to misrepresenting facts about the achievements of the Buhari administration since inception.
He listed the achievements to include what he called the crippling of the Boko Haram terrorists, saying the sect no longer had the capability to invade and occupy towns and villages unchallenged by the country’s military personnel.
The presidential spokesman said, “The fact that civil servants and political office holders are now afraid to steal with impunity is, itself, a major psychological boost for the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration, which no sincere Nigerian can pretend not to notice.
“Contrary to Junaid’s claims that President Buhari doesn’t acknowledge mistakes, we wish to remind the medical doctor that the President publicly took responsibility and apologised for the dissolution of the governing councils of federal universities when it was discovered that due process was not followed.
“We must stress that taking responsibility for mistakes is one of the finest components of integrity, and that President Buhari has never failed in demonstrating this virtue in words and deeds.
“Since the coming of the Buhari administration, the country has saved billions and trillions of naira which could have been diverted to private pockets if the government wasn’t committed to transparency and accountability.”
Shehu advised Nigerians to be wary of “prejudiced and biased critics” like Mohammed, who he said, were more interested in personal publicity than respecting facts and figures about their claims.
He said if Mohammed wanted to be taken seriously, he should speak truthfully about those he frequently attacked in his interviews.
While taking further swipe at the former federal lawmaker for his incessant criticism of Buhari, the presidential spokesman said Mohammed had nurtured the habit of insulting every leader Nigeria had produced in his time with his “jaundiced and malicious attacks.”
Shehu said Mohammed had taken it upon himself to criticise Nigerian leaders from former President Shehu Shagari till date, stating that he only retreated when his life was threatened when he attempted to criticise former military dictator, the late Sani Abacha.
He added, “It must be noted that President Buhari was not the only target of Junaid’s personal vituperations as former Presidents Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan had all been victims of his jaundiced and malicious attacks.
“When it came to the late Sani Abacha, he tried it, but once he saw the prospect of elimination, he retreated.
“A cursory library search will reveal that this man has nurtured the habit of insulting every leader this country has produced in his time.
“Like a narcissist, he is just interested in grabbing the headlines. Without publicity, Dr. Junaid would probably give up on life.
“It is unfortunate that Junaid Mohammed has been using his political retirement life to engage in insulting every President to grab the newspaper headlines, in addition to taking advantage of the gullibility of uncritical readers that don’t bother to subject him to facts-check.
“It is obvious that Dr. Junaid appears to be infected with pathological cynicism and these kinds of critics are toxic to national progress because they are only primarily interested in destroying every positive effort and achievements of the government.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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