ASO ROCK WATCH: Speaking positives about Nigeria. One other talking point

Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, last week, encouraged Nigerians to always speak well of the country. One other story from the Presidency was reviewed within the week under review

1. Speaking positive things about Nigeria

Tinubu, on February 8, urged Nigerians to always say positive things about the country, and dismiss every negative thought as it stands to impinge on its progress.

The President said this in his speech during the launch of the 3,112 housing units under the Renewed Hope Cites initiative in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

“Here again, let’s talk to Nigerians. Let’s talk to ourselves and say everything positive about our country. Don’t think of your country negatively,” he said.

Tinubu’s preachment highlights government discomfort, and or concern, over seeming low level patriotism exhibited by citizens, apparently in response to perceived bad leadership and mis-governance.

While his admonitions appear trite, his pleas may well fall on deaf ears as Nigerians continue to grapple with rising cost of living, worsening infrastructure, hunger, unemployment, bare-faced corruption and resort to primordial sentiments in the running of government.

READ ALSO:ASO ROCK WATCH: As Tinubu extols Buhari for non-interference. Two other talking points

One other talking point

2. As Presidency knocks Atiku again

On February 4, the Presidency, again, knocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for criticising Tinubu’s economic policies, saying his stand was “not grounded on facts” and accused him of hypocrisy.

“Atiku’s claim that the government’s policies have created intense cost of living pressures are also not grounded on facts as recent comparative cost of living indices show that Nigerians still enjoy the lowest cost of living in Africa,” a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga read in part.

Onanuga’s continuous, and timely defence shows his commitment to defending his assigned portfolio in the Tinubu administration, while Atiku’s never-ending criticisms tell his resolve to keep the administration on its toes in order to ensure that the right thing was done.

The comparison with other African countries demonstrates how far the Presidency can go in defending Tinubu’s economic reforms which has impacted the cost of living and threatening to push Nigerians to the streets.

Time only will tell how well Atiku’s continuous criticism of Tinubu would cause him to work harder in addressing the concerns of Nigerians.

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