The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
has decried the growing propensity of presidential spokesman Reuben Abati to
resort to the use of foul language against critics of the Jonathan
Administration, saying such crude verbal attacks may boomerang on the
presidency if left unchecked.
In a statement issued in Lagos on
Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party
said there is a difference between a vicious verbal attack, which Dr. Abati now
engages in with relish, and a robust response to critics of the Administration,
which is what is expected of him.
''Contrary to what Dr. Abati may
think, 'attack' and 'criticism' are not synonymous. An effective presidential
spokesman is not the one who employs gutter language to respond to critics of
his principal, or one who makes more enemies than friends for his boss, but one
who is able to convey the activities and achievements of the president to the
citizenry with dignified language.
''By virtue of what is believed to
be his sound education, professional training and exposure, Dr. Abati should be
well placed to know how to tell a man to go to hell and the man will still be
smiling!
''To be sure, the use of dignified
language by a presidential spokesman is important because whatever he says is
believed to have emanated from his principal. It is therefore unimaginable that
President Goodluck Jonathan will resort to the use of the kind of language that
has been spewing out of the mouth of his spokesman in recent times. To the best
of our knowledge, no presidential spokesman in Nigeria's history has employed
such base language in defence of his principal,'' it said.
ACN said using such words as
'ethically-challenged', 'hypocrite', 'medieval-era ignoramus', 'habitual
indolence and brainlessness', 'descent into moral abyss', 'mental indolence',
'bootlicking', 'hideous and second-rate characters', and 'foolish' to describe
the critics of the President is rude, crude, uncouth, unconscionable and
uncalled for, and that those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
''Dr. Abati, while you are free to
exhibit your bombastic prowess, the rarefied realm of the presidency is not the
ideal place for that, because when those who are being assaulted with such
words respond in kind, it debases the presidency and ultimately hurts the
occupier of the office. In a truly global world, such unrestrained response to
critics of the presidency also hurts not just the President but the image of
the entire country.
''Even if some critics use words
that Dr. Abati finds annoying and insulting or engage in criticism that he
deems unfair, it is still incumbent on him to avoid responding in kind, simply
because he is not speaking for himself but for an institution. It is therefore
not enough defence for him to say that he is responding in kind to critics of
his boss.
''May we also remind the
presidential spokesman that there will be life after that office, and that he
should remember that in an era where the power of the written word has assumed
more potency for various reasons, it is important to be more circumspect in
tongue-lashing critics of the President.
''We will like to advise and
encourage the presidential spokesman to learn to use facts and figures to
counter whatever he considers an unfavourable criticism of his principal,
instead of subsuming such under verbal pugilistic,'' ACN said.
1 comment:
Pot calling a kettle black. Both parties are the same
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