Utilisateur:DaniloKennerley
Extra normally than not, leaders across the planet are put on the defensive either in kind of a backlash for a policy misstep or by the ferocious snap of their political detractors.
Also as frequent, even though, is the tendency of their aides to swiftly intervene and minimise the magnitude of public relations harm a controversy could inflict on their principals.
This is what prime officials of the Buhari administration have performed more than the previous two and a half years.
Inside this period, the government has endured its fair share of public relations nightmare.
From disowning its official campaign document following citizens’ demand for fulfilment of promises to blaming rats for price range inconsistencies, some of Buhari administration’s excuses could stack up nicely with these of Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Saddam Hussein’s spokesperson who was declaring victory on Television even when invading Americans could be seen launching sorties in the background.
Following the current blaming of the opposition Peoples Democratic Celebration for the scandalous recall of a dismissed fugitive into public service —an excuse that rivals the legendary dog-ate-my-homework parlance— PREMIUM Occasions collates 10 of the government’s most controversial, even ridiculous, excuses.
This list is by no indicates exhaustive, but here’s our prime 11 in no specific order:
1. Rats invasion compelled president to function from property
The administration came beneath intense ridicule when it claimed that President Buhari was compelled to perform from residence since he discovered that rats had taken over his office when he returned from his most up-to-date medical holiday in the U.K.
The presidency was attempting to disabuse the public from reports that the president could not have recovered effectively sufficient to undertake presidential duties.
two. Ministers are noisemakers
When Mr. Buhari began feeling the heat from the public soon after failing to appoint ministers practically 4 months into his term, he excused himself by undermining the role of ministers.
"The ministers are there, I think, to make a lot of noise," the president stated for the duration of a trip to Paris in September 2015. He hyped the efforts of civil servants as vital to running public service.
Though civil servants play long-term roles by virtue of their career, the ministers have constitutional roles to play in government.
Though the civil servants could be delegated by the president, ministers assistance drive the policy of an administration. They sit at federal executive council meetings with the president for policy directives.
The policy agenda of an administration primarily based on its ideology is foisted on civil servants to implement via the ministers, who are political appointees and commonly members of the ruling party.
three. Rats tampered with price range
The Minister of Wellness, Isaac Adewole, blamed rats for manipulating the spending budget of his ministry — subsequently disowning it.
The excuse competed with an earlier claim by lawmakers that their version of the identical 2016 price range had abruptly gone missing.
four. PDP accountable for Maina scandal
Abdulrasheed Maina, a civil servant and former chairman of presidential activity reform team, was dismissed from service as an assistant director in 2013 by President Goodluck Jonathan for alleged corruption.
Mr. Maina was advised for prosecution, but he fled from the law to Dubai. The Financial and Economic Crimes Commission then declared him wanted.
In 2015, Mr. Buhari defeated Mr. Jonathan’s bid to return for a second term in workplace.
No one particular had heard a lot from Mr. Maina since he bolted till two weeks ago when PREMIUM Instances revealed that the Buhari administration, in spite of its claims to be difficult on corruption, had surreptitiously reinstated him into the civil service.
The public outrage that followed the report sent the administration reeling.
But rather than take critical disciplinary measures against those responsible for the gross violations and implement adjustments that would forestall future occurrences, the presidency decided to shirk duty — in the most bizarre way it could.
Mr. Shehu, unsurprisingly, issued a statement, putting the blame of Mr. Maina’s return on Mr. Jonathan, who had stopped directing Nigeria’s affairs for 875 days preceding the scandal.
Of course, Mr. Jonathan lashed out at the administration, describing it as "uncoordinated and rudderless". But even this wasn’t practically as scathing as the barrage of insults directed at Mr. Buhari and his aides for passing the buck.
five. Recession is just a word
When Nigeria’s economy plunged into recession last year, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, moved to assuage the fears of Nigerians.
Mrs. Adeosun urged citizens not to be frightened about the development, saying a recession is just "a word."
Following public backlash, she later denied ownership of the Twitter account, saying she could not have altered such. The tweet was also deleted.
But two days later, PREMIUM Occasions spotted a video that showed Mrs. Adeosun actually producing these statements.
"I know individuals are concerned about recession. Recession is a word," Mrs. Adeosun stated. "We can come out of recession."
6. Handover notes delayed ministerial appointment
Apparently having forgotten that he had earlier downplayed the value of ministers and mentioned he was not in a hurry to appoint them, Mr. Buhari in November 2015 said Jonathan administration officials have been to blame for delay in ministerial appointments.
For the duration of a speech at the National Democratic Institute, which came a few days right after he inaugurated the initially set of ministers, the president blamed the Jonathan administration for submitting "vague" handover notes to his personal government.
Throughout the speech, which was read by Lai Mohammed, the minister of facts who represented him at the event, nowhere did the government highlight the precise aspects of Mr. Jonathan’s handover notes that have been vague.
This excuse is ridiculous simply because handover notes are optional and, all more than the planet, incoming leaders are identified to have selected important cabinet positions even prior to their inauguration.
When the National Assembly viewed as main amendments to the Constitution, it included a timeframe inside which a new president should name cabinet members.
The lawmakers did not look at the significance of any handover note just before imposing no longer than 30 days from the day of assumption of office since they know it is not mandatory, even even though it is portion of the democratic approach.
7. Buhari postponed Federal Executive Council meeting to obtain a report
Mr. Buhari returned from his most current healthcare vacation in London on Saturday, August 19. His very first FEC meeting was supposed to be Wednesday, August 23, but the president postponed it.
A State House statement said the selection was taken to give the president a possibility to receive a report on alleged corruption by suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as well as the discovered Ikoyi money haul involving the National Intelligence Agency.
A picture later circulated shortly following the statement, which showed that the president received some documents from the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Receiving a report ought to take a handful of minutes at most. And this could be done before or immediately after the FEC meeting, which generally holds involving 10:00 a.m. and noon.
8. PDP to blame for all that ails Buhari’s government
Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, dropped a hoopla on Friday when he held the PDP accountable for Mr. Buhari’s shortcomings.
Mr. Ali, a crucial ally of the president, declared that the administration has failed, but said all the recorded misfortunes could be ascribed to PDP’s alleged influence over Mr. Buhari’s selections.
9. Federal Executive Council meeting cancelled due to the fact of Sallah
The FEC meeting for Wednesday, September 6, was cancelled because ministers had no time to prepare their paperwork due to Sallah break, according to Mr. Mohammed.
The government declared public holidays for Friday, September 1 and Monday, September four for 2017 Sallah. The celebration itself held on September 1.
The excuse sent tongues wagging across the country considering that the FEC has a fixed date that all cabinet members are aware of.
In 2014, Sallah holidays had been on October six and 7, but the Jonathan administration convened FEC on October eight.
It was only in 2013 that FEC was cancelled mainly because October 15 and 16, Tuesday and Wednesday, fell on public holidays for that year’s Sallah.
10. Unnamed official made scandalous insertion into president’s speech
While launching a campaign to preach against "widespread act of immorality" a year ago, Mr. Buhari lifted quotes from Barack Obama without having attribution although reading from a ready speech.
The plagiarism was later observed by a THISDAY columnist, Adeola Akinremi, earning the president another round of public condemnation.
The presidency subsequently blamed the scandal on an unnamed deputy director at the State Residence, even immediately after Mr. Buhari himself had apologised for the damage.
11. SSS Recruitment Scandal
When, in April, PREMIUM Times uncovered how the State Security Service quietly recruited far more persons in from the north than the south against the country’s federal character laws, the presidency responded.
In a distributed statement on the identical day, the Buhari administration confirmed the lopsidedness but stated it was informed by an alleged imbalance in previous recruitments carried out by the agency.
But no evidence was provided to assistance this claim, regardless of requests that the nominal roll of the agency showing employees distribution by states be published. It was clear that the presidency was only playing up some of the excuses that were adduced on social media by the administration’s loyalists.
