The Presidency on Sunday urged Nigerians to be wary of biased critics, who were more interested in personal publicity than presenting facts and figures on their claims.
Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, made the call while reacting to media attacks on the president by Dr Junaidu Mohammed.
Mohammed, a former member of House of Representatives from Kano State, had in a media interview, alleged that “President Buhari doesn’t acknowledge mistakes’’.
Shehu reminded the Mohammed that the president publicly took responsibility and apologized over the dissolution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities when it was discovered that due process was not followed.
According to him, even though Mohammed is entitled to his opinion, he is not entitled to misrepresent facts about the concrete achievements of the Buhari administration since its inception.
He said the achievements include “the undeniable fact that Boko Haram terrorists have been significantly crippled militarily, because they no longer have the capability to invade and occupy towns and villages unchallenged.
“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.’’
He said that if Junaidu Mohammed “wants to be taken seriously, he should demonstrate the duty of speaking truthfully about those he frequently attacks in his interviews’’.
Shehu stated that Buhari was not the only target of Junaidu’s personal vituperations as former Presidents Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo,Umaru Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan, had all been victims of his 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 headlines. Without publicity, Dr Junaidu would probably give up on life,’’ he said.
The presidential spokesman described as “unfortunate’’ the situation that Mohammed had been using his retirement life to engage in insulting every president to grab newspaper headlines. (NAN)