I’m an object of anger, frustration —Atiku Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has lamented that his social media engagement has, of late, been marred by barrage of criticisms. In a blog and Facebook post, he said he had been made an object of vituperative utterances; but added that the criticisms were “understandable” due to the “crushing weight of our challenges as a country.” Atiku argued that his social media followers who are university students, for instance, have a reason to direct their anger and frustration at him because it’s difficult for them to have a subsisting hope in the Nigerian Project after having been forced to sit at home for months. He said, “When you’re a university student forced to sit at home for months, due to no fault of yours, I realise that it is difficult to understand why you should have any hope in your country. What you want to do is lash out at a system that keeps conspiring to let you down. That is understandable. “Understandably, there are a lot of complaining voices. And I’m speaking from experience, as a former political office holder now active on Facebook and Twitter, and often the object of a lot of anger and frustration.” The former number two citizen who enjoined his online followers never to allow their “frustrations to blind” them, explained that he had been working round the clock with a view to “generating and highlighting solutions to the pressing problems” bedeviling the nation. He stated that an essay competition he introduced, focusing on the solutions to the challenges bedeviling the education sector, in which the winner will be awarded a scholarship; and his “impressive ‘American University’ concept,” which he “transplanted” to Nigeria, were some of his efforts aimed at “creatively solving our problems.” “Thus was the American University of Nigeria born. Change is possible in Nigeria. Ideas can survive and thrive here. But we must start by paying attention to them. Let us discuss them, tweet them, Facebook them, blog them,” Atiku enjoined. However, Atiku’s sermons did not placate the anger of many of his online followers, as they further disagreed with him on his discourse on national issues and gave him more knocks. Many of those who commented on his Facebook page said they were at a loss as to how Atiku, who served as Vice-President for eight years, could turn around and become a “saint overnight.” They accused the Turaki Adamawa of merely seeking public sympathy through his social media engagement. “It’s only in Nigeria that past political leaders turn around and become saints overnight. Sir, let me correct this impression of yours: we know vividly that you are part of our problem. What was your antecedent while in power?” Aderinboye George wrote. Some of his followers also argued that the American University of Nigeria, which he was referring to as one of his achievements, was not set up to benefit the masses. “Oga Atiku, how much is the tuition fee of your university? You started that school with around N900, 000 as tuition fee! Only God knows how much it is now. How have you helped us?” one Akila Joshua asked. Corroborating Joshua’s argument, one Obafemi Adesina-Salami wrote, “Please sir, how affordable is the American University of Nigeria, which we heard you built with the interest of Nigerian parents at heart? Why should you leave qualitative education in Nigeria for the super rich?” A particular Facebook friend, Michael Amos, said, “Atiku, you are not better in anyway; believe me, you are a notice seeker. If Nigeria is as bad as you are painting it, it means you contributed to it. You were in an administration that pioneered this democracy, which you now criticise as being in a state of collapse. “By saying you understand our complaints with the system, it shows you did not lay a lasting foundation. With regard to this obvious wrong foundation, it is wrong to have you blame the state of the nation on anybody; unless you live in perpetual irresponsibility.” The Presidency has also reacted to Atiku’s blog post, saying he was merely “politicising” on the social media the strike embarked upon by university teachers. Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Reno Omokri, in a Twitter post said, “Atiku sir, Please, understand that governments face strikes all the time. Under your tenure, even the Nigeria Police went on strike. Let’s not politicise this.”
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 05:16:12 +0000
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