Nigerians on social media have criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over a ‘joke’ he passed as a comment when asked about the security challenges in the country.
Mr Buhari, who arrived Sunday from his ‘private visit’ to the United Kingdom, said the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu “is losing weight because of the security challenges in Nigeria.” He was responding to a question on the waves of crimes and banditry rocking parts of the nation.
Mr Buhari, in a video going viral online, also told journalists “not to expect a better way of tackling insecurity.”
When a reporter asked the president if there would be another approach to enhancing security, especially kidnapping, Mr Buhari responded jokingly saying: “No, I have just seen the IG, I think he is losing weight, so I think he is working very hard”.
Reacting to this, social media commentators, including former presidential candidates flayed Mr Buhari.
Reactions
Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019, wrote on Twitter: “I think the President has lost it. His reaction is at variance with the gravity of the insecurity in the country”.
Another former presidential hopeful, Oby Ezekwesili, condemned the president’s comment.
“And this is supposed to be funny? A President Buhari making a joke of the daily drenching of the country in the blood of his citizens, who are killed daily without ANY consequence while he bears the title “Commander-in-Chief”? Carry on. Someday the Citizens will be ready,” she wrote on Twitter
“Citizens of every country have the power to determine how their Political Class can treat them,” she said. “Until we are collectively ready to end the joke that our Political Class have turned NIGERIA into, they’ll continue.”
Other Reactions
@renoomokri: Why must @MBuhari love celebrating POVERTY! Millions of Nigerians are losing weight because Nigeria is the world headquarters for extreme poverty and not because they are working Mr. President. Poverty is the fastest growing business in Nigeria #RenosDarts
Why must @MBuhari love celebrating POVERTY! Millions of Nigerians are losing weight because Nigeria is the world headquarters for extreme poverty and not because they are working Mr. President. Poverty is the fastest growing business in Nigeria #RenosDarts https://t.co/ykhKHXUPnq
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) May 6, 2019
@ameshima: Once you are ‘kwashiokoed’ under Buhari, you are working.
https://twitter.com/amechioma/status/1125374035611852801
@iamchbykee: So disgusting, weight loss is now a criterion for hard work
VIDEO: IG is losing weight, it shows he’s working very hard —Buhari
https://punchng.com/video-ig-is-losing-weight-it-shows-hes-working-hard-buhari/
via @MobilePunch
@ebereracheal: How did we get here?
VIDEO: IGP Is Losing Weight, He Is Working Very Hard – Buhari. https://t.co/nFmCNjGBmf https://t.co/Oh6Tjmt2zR
@drdamages: Dr. Damages Show – Episode 380, For those who had hoped that upon his return from the UK, he would deal with insecurity spreading across Nigeria… Buhari has news for you about the weight of his Police IG.. In the meantime, please watch episode 380.
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