Several Nigerians have expressed outrage at the Economist for labeling the country’s past president, Goodluck Jonathan, as an ‘ineffectual buffoon.’
In an article titled “Crude Tactics: Cheap oil is causing a currency crisis in Nigeria. Banning imports is no solution”, published in The Economist last Thursday, the magazine, while analysing the economic policies of President Muhammadu Buhari, had written that “In the eight months since Mr. Buhari arrived at Aso Rock, the presidential digs, the homicidal jihadists of Boko Haram have been pushed back into the bush along Nigeria’s borders.
“The government has cracked down on corruption, which had flourished under the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, an ineffectual buffoon who let politicians and their cronies fill their pockets with impunity.”
In angry reactions on social media, majority of Nigerians expressed their displeasure with the tag on a former president of Africa’s most populous nation.
Writing on her Twitter handle, Nigerian author, Molara Wood stated, “Marvelled at the verbal buffoonery of @TheEconomist. It’s almost like it’s personal. I thought you people had style guides.#Inappropriate.”
Also, writing on his Twitter handle, @Olumicome2, a Nigerian, Obamide, said, “I think it’s wrong that the economist described Jonathan as an ineffectual Buffon. It’s so wrong to call our ex-president that
In another reaction, A Twitter user, Ogbiji Nyiam, said, “The Economist reference of Jonathan as “an ineffectual Buffon” is uncalled and saucy.”
Similarly, writing on his Facebook page, one Ismail Aniemu said every Nigerian should be worried about any derogatory description of our leaders by the western media.
“Describing Jonathan as an ‘Ineffectual Buffoon’ is not a good testimonial for us coming from an influential publication, The Economist. Nigerians should jointly seek ways of avoiding embarrassments of this sort in future. How did we get a GEJ to lead us in the first place?” he wrote.
Another Nigerian, Adedayo Adesoji, also expressed his reservations on his Facebook page.
He wrote, “Despite the fact that I have never for once fancied the kind of President Jonathan’s style of leadership, I take exception to the Economist’s position referring to the Nigerian immediate past President as an ineffectual buffoon! It is the height of disrespect to the personality of our former President! If truly the Economist condescended so low to spew out this insult, then the above globally respected news platform has lowered its professional standard and brought international journalism to a state of disrepute! I am awfully disappointed in the Economist if truly it authored such a publication!”
Also, in his Facebook post, a Nigerian, Ugo Chikezie, said the label by The Economist was abusive.
“For me, I completely agree that GEJ was ineffectual, but I don’t quite agree that he is a buffoon. We all know GEJ failed woefully as president, but I think calling him a buffoon is unnecessary. People should learn to criticize without being abusive,” He wrote on his Facebook page.
The Economist which has arrogated itself the sole right to determine what is good and bad for Nigeria, is a tool of western imperialism. The fact that Jonathan refused the devils their plea for the legalisation of gay marriage and refused to suppor their grandiose design to re-colonise Africa via the set up of an African High Command to be sponsored and commanded by the evil US, heir anger has not abetted since then. This is a tool for the same group of idiotic western countries who have no real means of making money but through export of terrorism using such proxies as Saudi Arabia and Qatar while selling arms to the stricken people, testing their new weapons on poor Muslims and Arabs such as Syrians, Yemenis, Iraqis, afghans and others in Africa, stealing the resources of Africa and other weak minded countries. Shame on the editor of this imbecilic magazine for insulting a man that they can never equal in anything. God bless Jonathan. Maybe they have now gotten a weak president they can cajole and influence. No wonder they send the satanic looking IMF head to come and advice us to devalue the naija, drop subsidies and increase taxes which is a certain harbinger of chaos and unrest
ReplyDeleteThat is how people who lack good home training talk Shame!
ReplyDeleteThe label was a result of critical assessment over time of a so-called president who had no grasp of what it entails to be a president. Jonathan was in actuality a joke for a president, a butter-fingered one at that.
ReplyDeleteWhen you are a puppet on the strings of party stalwarts who should be doing your bidding but the opposite is the case, you automatically become an INEFFECTUAL BUFFOON.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately some Nigerians failed to understand that the insult was not on PGEJ but on Nigerians. Indeed, some Nigerians are the ineffectual buffoons
ReplyDelete