Adebayo Shittu, minister of communications, on Monday, January 29, 2018 addressed news reporters at the presidential villa blasting critics of President Muhammadu Buhari, including Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria.
Interestingly enough, Shittu labeled critics of the Muhammadu Buhari government as ethnic or religious bigots.
“I have a duty to the government and to myself and I believe to all Nigerians that we have to correct a lot of misinformation and blackmail that is out there by people who ordinarily deserve respect but who for reason of clannishness, for reason of tribalism, for reasons of religious bigotry and intolerance have decided to see and not to ask questions about what is going on in the country. I have always challenged everybody who cares to listen that what this government has done in a number of areas, particularly in the agricultural sector, in works, housing and power sectors, the PDP government never achieved that in the 16 years of their reign.”
“Obasanjo as a patriotic Nigerian has the right to hold opinions. If Obasanjo holds an opinion that Mr. President has performed less than what it should be, those of us who are in the position to know better have a right to also state the other side which perhaps Obasanjo is ignorant of.
“You see, there are some people who enjoy engaging in sensationalism. With due respect to General Obasanjo, if you take his history over the last 30 years, there is hardly any regime other than his own that he did not criticize except Sani Abacha, who didn’t wait for Obasanjo to criticize him before he was sent to the gulag.
“So to many Nigerians, they know that Obasanjo enjoys this type of sensationalisation. In any case, no matter what impression you have of me, do you have a right to tell me not to contest an election? I mean we should talk as people who are educated, who know our left from the right.
“There are procedures for elections. President Buhari is a member of the APC and the APC has its rules and regulations as to how candidates will emerge, if members of the party feel strongly that the president has not performed well enough, it is for them to show that during the primary election. It is not for anybody to short change Nigerians and prevent people from offering themselves for an election.
“In any case, since Obasanjo is no more a member of our party, with due respect to him it doesn’t lie in his mouth to tell us who among our party members or leaders to contest or not to contest. I think Nigerians should concede this privilege to we the members of APC to decide the fate of Mr. President when the next round of primaries come.”
An Oyo state government panel of inquiry which was looking into a religious clash in that state indicted Shittu in 2000 for publishing religious materials capable of causing crisis. During his screening, Shittu denied allegations of being an extremist. He said although he has published Islamic pamphlets and materials, it does not qualify him as a bigot.
