Nigerians on Thursday launched an aggressive social media war against Levick, the Washington-based public relations and lobby firm allegedly hired by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Levick was hired to help rev up the president’s plummeting public approval rating following what local and international observers consider his administration’s inept handling of the abduction of over 250 schoolgirls by the extremist Boko Haram sect.
The social media campaign, which trended on Twitter for most of Thursday, was triggered by a statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe.
Mr. Okupe’s statement attacked the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners and blamed them for the refusal of parents of the abducted girls to meet with the president on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, political forces within the Nigerian chapter of Bring Back Our Girls have decided to take this opportunity to play politics with the situation and the grief of the parents and the girls,” the statement said. “They should be ashamed of their actions.”
The statement also referred to the campaigners as engaging in “psychological terrorism”.
Levick did not sign the statement, and it remains unclear how Nigerians concluded that the public relations firm was the unseen hands behind Mr. Okupe’s vituperation.
But before long, the social media was soon flooded with scathing messages directed at both the Nigerian government and Levick.
According to social media analytic site, Topsy, #someoneTellLEVICK, the hashtag generated for the campaign, was used more than 3,600 times as 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and it trended in the country.
Using that hashtag, a series of biting remarks were directed at the PR firm, which was recently hired by the Nigerian presidency for $1.2 million to help shape the administration’s messages concerning the Chibok girls abduction.
“L-E-V-I-C-K: Leveraging Every Propaganda Vehicle To Intimidate Nigerians Regarding The Chibok Kidnap #Someonetelllevick,” said journalist, Tolu Ogunlesi, through his handle @toluogunlesi.
“#someoneTellLEVICK investors, go and sell your shares. You will have a PR company in need of world class PR by the time we are done!,” blogger Japheth Omojuwa tweeted.
Social commentator, Seun Fakuade, weighed in: “It’s easy for any “rented” foreign organization to discredit and malign Nigerians. The govt does same. @LEVICK #SomeoneTellLevick.”
“#someoneTellLEVICK they are contributing to poverty and violence in Nigeria and further jeopardizing the effort to #BringBackOurGirls,” opined Ayo Adegbulu via his handle @ayoadegbulu.
A former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, had condemned Mr Jonathan administration’s attempt to smear the image of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign through Levick.
Mrs. Ezekwesili, who is also one of the leaders of the campaign, tweeted through her handle, @obyezeks, that it was hateful of the presidency to hire the PR firm to help it tag Nigerians as terrorists.
“It’s to SUCH HATE? That our Presidency deployed our public resources to hire US firm @LEVICK to label INNOCENT CITIZENS “terrorists”??” she said.
President Jonathan approved Levick’s hiring in June to help the administration counter widespread criticism over its inept handling of the kidnap of the schoolgirls.
According to the contract papers, first made public by Washington-based newspaper, The Hill, the public relations firm is to help change “international and local media narrative” surrounding the Nigerian government’s efforts to rescue the girls, now in captivity for over three months.
Levick, which likes to describe itself as a leading strategic communications firm that establishes and protects trust, began work in late June, helping Mr. Jonathan plant an opinion article in the Washington Post through which the president assured the international community of his effort at rescuing the girls.
“My heart aches for the missing children and their families. I am a parent myself, and I know how awfully this must hurt. Nothing is more important to me than finding and rescuing our girls,” Mr. Jonathan wrote in the 504-word article.
The Federal Government has come under severe criticism from local and international media for its lethargic handling of the abduction, prompting the presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to accuse the opposition of sponsoring a media campaign to discredit the government. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Mr. Jona’s years of studies never shows he is intelligent. How can he surrounds himself with hypocrites. Okupe “Okuugbe” should live the rest of his life regretting his role in destroying Mr. Jona’s image.
ReplyDeleteInstead of keeping his mouth closed, he keeps attacking opposition and whoever wants to advise the president to cover his empty brain.
No amount of number of image makers can fool intelligent Nigerians and international community.
If truly Jonathan is sure of his achievements he will not use tax payers money to launder his image abroad through LEVICK,by blowing his own horn. A good product doesn't need any advertisement as it will always advertise itself. Is this why the Govt. is broke and is now asking for an extra $1bn (Scarce resources) for another image laundering campaign and for fighting phantom enemies (so called oppositions)? Nigeria has never had it so bad like this,(Nigerians are now divided along Ethnic, Religious, Tribal and Cultural lines which his govt has fostered and promoted) even the Abacha regime that is Military did not go this far and stoop so low. He forgets that foreigners will not vote, it is Nigerians that will vote come 2015 and we shall vote wisely this time.
ReplyDeleteSo, who ll u vote wisely come 2015?
DeleteIs ur father we will vote in 2015
DeleteThat says it all.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is been unwrapped bit by bit. A lot can be done with this wasted money on Levick well I hope Nigerians will be wiser enough to do away with this kind of leadership. Any leader irrespective of the party he or she belongs to, once his or her performance is below expectation should not be voted in for a second term.
ReplyDeleteMark.
My brothers & sisters ,we all want good jobs & we want our passports respected(where we all will not be looked at as a boko haram) ,foreign investors etc. Since some people are bent on spoiling our image both in & outside the country for their selfish interest; I believe the President is right to employ whosoever he wishes to build a good image of the country for the good of the nation not for himself. Please let us not be beclouded with opinions of selfish politicians that will do the same if not more if in power. Every country does this including America. What is the cost if doing it compared to the implications of not doing it? We have to think beyond our narrow & personal interest. Thanks
ReplyDeleteU are a big fool
DeleteAnonymous
DeleteIgnorant is the biggest problem of most of you the president is very right in his actions it is good to rebuld the image of you and I otherwise we will be regarded the supporters of Boko Hatam if not one. Boko haram is APC AGENDERS to dicredit the president but God has exposed it
You are the biggest fool don't you know that Jonathan is pursuing Gods agenda and whoever that is fighting him is fighting God
DeleteWe Nigerians are always late in reacting to issues. This so called image laundering was brought to the fore several weeks ago. This is a sheer waste of time if we are just reacting now and with all the people commenting, if given the opportunity to be in the saddle, what would you have done differently? The answer is obvious, we are all bereft of ideas because there is no one best method of tackling this type of insurgency. The type of insurgency such as we are experiencing here is a home grown one. We need to be very careful here. A lot of information is available to government on the sponsors, informants and a host of other beneficiaries of this wicked act. Let us allow the FG to concentrate and deal with this problem, once and for all.
ReplyDeleteWell spoken things has fallen apart and the centre can not hold ? What do you expect the President to do in this circumstance where the very people we in trust the nation security in their hands are among the Boko Haram, we are no longer deceived ,we know that all this Boko haram issues are in the bid to islamitise Nigeria and it can never happen. God has vowed to bring the perpetrator , sponsors and supporters to book their everlasting disgrace shall not be forgotten .APC should mind what they say, do, because it is becoming obvoiuse that Boko Haram is their instrument to distroy Nigetia b'cos of their selfishness .
ReplyDelete