THE Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Thursday, 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.
ACN said in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that 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.
The statement said: “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.”
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.
It added that while Dr. Abati was free to exhibit his bombastic prowess, the rarefied realm of the presidency was 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,” the party said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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A word is enough for the wise. Nobody not GEJ will remain in power for ever not to talk of his aide, who can be changed at any point in time. You can defend ur boss with facts and reasons but not to divert and attack the personality of critics. It is therefore important u watch your tongue and bite only that u can chew.
ReplyDeleteWat else do u exoect wen hes got nothing good to point out that his oga has done...the truth of d matter is dat most of d criticisms dat come d way of his oga is based on realities on ground....his oga is a failure...n as d tuth hurts n he doesnt have anything to defend his oga with...he resorts to d language of touts n ruffians...no condition is permanent sha....2015 go soon come n him oga go vamoose then we shall see if he wont leave aso rock
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone of us shud remember dat there is life after death n our reward will be based on hw we have trampled the commandments,laws n words of Jesus under our feets for wealth n fame or hav done otherwise.
ReplyDelete