Nigerians
have expressed outrage at the Economist for labeling the country’s past
president, Goodluck Jonathan, as an ‘ineffectual buffoon.’
In
an article titled “Crude Tactics: Cheap oil is causing a currency crisis in
Nigeria. Banning imports is no solution”, published in The Economist last
Thursday, the magazine, while analysing the economic policies of President
Muhammadu Buhari, had written that “In the eight months since Mr. Buhari
arrived at Aso Rock, the presidential digs, the homicidal jihadists of Boko
Haram have been pushed back into the bush along Nigeria’s borders.
“The
government has cracked down on corruption, which had flourished under the
previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, an ineffectual buffoon who let
politicians and their cronies fill their pockets with impunity.”
In
angry reactions on social media, majority of Nigerians expressed their
displeasure with the tag on a former president of Africa’s most populous
nation.
Writing
on her Twitter handle, Nigerian author, Molara Wood stated, “Marvelled at the
verbal buffoonery of @TheEconomist. It’s almost like it’s personal. I thought
you people had style guides.#Inappropriate.”
Also,
writing on his Twitter handle, @Olumicome2, a Nigerian, Obamide, said, “I think
it’s wrong that the economist described Jonathan as an ineffectual Buffon. It’s
so wrong to call our ex-president that
In
another reaction, A Twitter user, Ogbiji Nyiam, said, “The Economist reference
of Jonathan as “an ineffectual Buffon” is uncalled and saucy.”
Similarly,
writing on his Facebook page, one Ismail Aniemu said every Nigerian should be
worried about any derogatory description of our leaders by the western media.
“Describing
Jonathan as an ‘Ineffectual Buffoon’ is not a good testimonial for us coming
from an influential publication, The Economist. Nigerians should jointly seek
ways of avoiding embarrassments of this sort in future. How did we get a GEJ to
lead us in the first place?” he wrote.
Another
Nigerian, Adedayo Adesoji, also expressed his reservations on his Facebook
page.
He
wrote, “Despite the fact that I have never for once fancied the kind of
President Jonathan’s style of leadership, I take exception to the Economist’s
position referring to the Nigerian immediate past President as an ineffectual
buffoon! It is the height of disrespect to the personality of our former
President! If truly the Economist condescended so low to spew out this insult,
then the above globally respected news platform has lowered its professional
standard and brought international journalism to a state of disrepute! I am
awfully disappointed in the Economist if truly it authored such a publication!”
Also,
in his Facebook post, a Nigerian, Ugo Chikezie, said the label by The Economist
was abusive.
“For
me, I completely agree that GEJ was ineffectual, but I don’t quite agree that
he is a buffoon. We all know GEJ failed woefully as president, but I think
calling him a buffoon is unnecessary. People should learn to criticize without
being abusive,” He wrote on his Facebook page.
However,
Aliyu Abubakar Zaria said, “So while Jonathan was busy buying awards in USA and
Switzerland, trying to perfume his smelly years as president, the Economist
described him as an “ineffectual Buffon, who let politicians and their cronies
fill their pockets with impunity”. Some Nigerians are already angry, describing
the description of ‘a former president of a country’ as an “ineffectual
buffoon” as ‘racism’. Is the Economist wrong in this assertion or they are just
stating the obvious?”
Source: The Punch
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