The Nigerian presidency has said the support base of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is still enormous, insisting that those complaining of the present tough times are “in the minority”.
This out-of-touch remark was made by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina when he made an appearance on a radio appearance on Raypower 100.5Fm in Abuja on Saturday, July 9, 2016.
On the phone-in programme, Mr. Adesina said he urged those complaining of suffering under President Buhari to be patient with the Buhari government assuring that effort is being made to “correct the wrongs of the past”.
Adesina claimed that Buhari’s government officials in Aso Rock are living in the midst of the people and feeling their pulse regularly”, those working in government can conclude that those criticising Buhari were in the minority.
“Yes, you need to give me the statistics of those complaining. We [government officials] are in the midst of the people and we can feel the pulse of the people,” Adesina said.
“I maintain that the people who are complaining are in the minority. I can tell you that the support base of this government is still enormous.
“Yes, we know some people are complaining but, they are still in the minority,” he said.
A popularly public affairs analyst and columnist with Vanguard, Dele Sobowale, has dismissed Adesina’s comments calling him a victim of Aso Rock Sickness. In an opinion editorial, Sobowale condemned Adesina for his elitist comment and decried the widespread poverty, starvation, and desperation among ordinary Nigerians.
Sobowale warned that if something urgent is not done to address the looming famine, that parents would start eating their children for food.
