Paul Ibe, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s spokesman has mocked the presidency after it apologised for erroneously claiming that President Bola Tinubu was the first African president to ring the NASDAQ exchange closing bell.
The Herald recalls that on September 11, President Tinubu was invited by the United States Chamber of Commerce to ring the closing bell at the stock exchange market, based in New York.
In a statement celebrating the development on Tuesday, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale claimed Tinubu was the “first African president to ever receive the honour”.
The presidency apologised on Friday, after it emerged that former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete rang the NASDAQ closing bell in 2011.
“We inadvertently referred to President Bola Tinubu as the first African leader to ring the bell at NASDAQ on Wednesday in New York, based on the information provided by a third-party event organiser.
“We have since found out that this information was/is incorrect as a former African leader has indeed had the privilege.
“This error is sincerely regretted,” the presidency said.
In a reaction on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday, Ibe said the error is symptomatic of a government that is “deficient in credibility”.
“To imagine that the Presidency will outsource the ingredients of public communication to a third party.
“They will never take responsibility for anything. They will blame a clerical officer for purported errors in their Oluwole certificate; blame the former administration which they were a part of for the mess they’ve created and blame others for filling names of schools they did not attend in their forms.
“Things you do when you are delinquent in credibility,” he said.