Reactions As Bashir Ahmad Calls President Buhari “Chairman” In His Tweet

Nigerians have reacted to an error-filled tweet published by the Personal Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, in his congratulatory message to the President-Elect of the United States of America, Joe Biden, which he wrote in Chinese.

The congratulatory message, which was tweeted in Chinese, recognised Mohammed Buhari as “Chairman” instead of President, attracting reactions from the social media platform users who replied the tweet. Many people asked questions if Nigeria has been ceded to China and some asked when the country start recognising Chinese Mandarin as an official language.

The tweet in Chinese reads: “布哈里主席祝贺美国总统当选人拜登当选在不确定的时候，担心世界事务，提醒我们，民主是最好的政府形式，因为它通过和平手段为人们提供了机会，改变政府。🇳🇬🇺🇸.”

The translation in English reads: “Chairman Buhari congratulated the US president-elect Biden on his election. He was worried about world affairs when he was elected. He reminded us that democracy is the best form of government because it provides people with opportunities to change government through peaceful means. 🇳🇬🇺🇸”

A Twitter user with the handle, @maji_dadii, however, called to notice, the President personal assistant on new media of his misused words “Chairman” instead of President: “You made a mistake in the first word “Chairman” 布哈, it is “President” 总统 not “Chairman” 布哈.”

Reactions followed this as many Twitter users laughed at this spotted error with a series of trolls.
“Have the government sold Naija to China ni” -@ii_am_dml
“Translate wahala for who no get Chinese girlfriend” -@oil_shaeikh
“When did Nigeria recognize Chinese mandarin?” – @GreatBlow
Bashir Ahmad, who made a series of mistakes in other tweets in the Yoruba language, however, did not correct his tweet or take down the concerned tweet as at the time of filing this report.