ABUJA, Nigeria – In a fiery clash of words, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has launched a stinging critique of former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, for her ongoing criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former minister’s alleged “noxious chemistry of bad-mouthing and ill-mannered pontification,” has ruffled feathers within Buhari’s camp.
BMO Chairman Niyi Akinsiju, in a statement on Saturday, May 20, 2023, noted that Ezekwesili’s critical discourse, often delivered in “the most vainglorious manner,” has sparked concern.
The BMO, typically composed and muted in its responses, has this time taken an uncharacteristically hardline approach to Ezekwesili’s comments.
In particular, Akinsiju pointed out that while the public anticipated the condemnation of the recent killings of two American Consulate personnel in Anambra from South-East leaders, Ezekwesili instead “resorted to attacking the president”.
He suggested that her silence over the ambush “is clearly indicative of barefaced subterfuge”.
Akinsiju didn’t pull any punches, challenging the former Minister to make clear her allegiances. “Ezekwesili should declare where her loyalty lies; is it to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) or to the good people of Nigeria,” Akinsiju queried.
Akinsiju criticized the former World Bank Vice President for her alleged hypocrisy, stating that her conduct “smacks of the hypocrisy of desperately desiring to remove the speck in the other person’s eye”.
Defending the Buhari administration, Akinsiju claimed that notable strides have been made in recent years in the fight against banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping, including actions taken against IPOB/ESN operatives.
He declared, “Even in the South East, we daily count the numbers of IPOB/ESN operatives either neutralised or arrested by security personnel.”
As Nigeria braces for its political future, this heated exchange underscores the increasing tension and complexity in the dialogue between government representatives and outspoken critics.
