ACN to Abati: Please, mind your language

Premium Times - 46 mins agoNEWS

The opposition party accuses presidential spokesman of using crude and undignified language on Jonathan’s critics.
The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has decried the growing propensity of presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, to resort to the use of foul language against critics of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, saying such crude verbal attacks may boomerang on the presidency, if left unchecked.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said there is a difference between a vicious verbal attack, which Mr. Abati now engages in with relish, and a robust response to critics of the administration, which is what is expected of him.

”Contrary to what Dr. Abati may think, ‘attack’ and ‘criticism’ are not synonymous. An effective presidential spokesman is not one who employs gutter language to respond to critics of his principal, or one who makes more enemies than friends for his boss, but one who is able to convey the activities and achievements of the president to the citizenry with dignified language,” the party said.

”By virtue of what is believed to be his sound education, professional training and exposure, Dr. Abati should be well placed to know how to tell a man to go to hell and the man will still be smiling!

”To be sure, the use of dignified language by a presidential spokesman is important because whatever he says is believed to have emanated from his principal.

“It is therefore unimaginable that President Goodluck Jonathan will resort to the use of the kind of language that has been spewing out of the mouth of his spokesman in recent times. To the best of our knowledge, no presidential spokesman in Nigeria’s history has employed such base language in defence of his principal.”

ACN said using such words as ‘ethically-challenged’, ‘hypocrite’, ‘medieval-era ignoramus’, ‘habitual indolence and brainlessness’, ‘descent into moral abyss’, ‘mental indolence’, ‘bootlicking’, ‘hideous and second-rate characters’, and ‘foolish’ to describe the critics of the President is rude, crude, uncouth, unconscionable and uncalled for, and that those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

The ACN said while Mr. Abati is “free to exhibit your bombastic prowess, the rarefied realm of the presidency is not the ideal place for that, because when those who are being assaulted with such words respond in kind, it debases the presidency and ultimately hurts the occupier of the office. In a truly global world, such unrestrained response to critics of the presidency also hurts not just the President but the image of the entire country.

”Even if some critics use words that Dr. Abati finds annoying and insulting or engage in criticism that he deems unfair, it is still incumbent on him to avoid responding in kind, simply because he is not speaking for himself but for an institution. It is therefore not enough defence for him to say that he is responding in kind to critics of his boss.

”May we also remind the presidential spokesman that there will be life after that office, and that he should remember that in an era where the power of the written word has assumed more potency for various reasons, it is important to be more circumspect in tongue-lashing critics of the President.

The opposition party advised and encouraged Mr. Abati “to learn to use facts and figures to counter whatever he considers an unfavourable criticism of his principal, instead of subsuming such under verbal pugilistic.”

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/138686-acn-to-abati-please-mind-your-language.html

Now 'liar' mohammed is begging Reuben to calm down .I guess the heat is now on acn

oga lie so u're inteligent like dis? but stop playing on our inteligence by politicising evrytin. God bless Nigeria!

I've noticed that PDP has put in a lot of aggression into its statements either about or in response to the opposition. The opposition started the rofo rofo rhetoric to be honest. Lai Mohammed harassed this administration so much that they had to employ Doyin Okupe! Lol

Anyhow its good for our democracy sha let the barbs exchange continue and let the politicians stay on their toes

By virtue of what is believed to be his sound education, professional training and exposure, Dr. Abati should be well placed to know how to tell a man to go to hell and the man will still be smiling!

With this piece, Lai has accomplished the above.

nku5: I've noticed that PDP has put in a lot of aggression into its statements either about or in response to the opposition. The opposition started the rofo rofo rhetoric to be honest. Lai Mohammed harassed this administration so much that they had to employ Doyin Okupe! Lol

Anyhow its good for our democracy sha let the barbs exchange continue and let the politicians stay on their toes

well spoken....they though pdp wud jst sit down and let dem run their mouths up and down. The truth is that the opposition should look beyong 2015 and start planing for 2019, cos as far as am concerned 2015 is pdp's to lose

Abati is a disgrace to the presidency!!

OP: Misleading topic..

Garri the 1st: Abati is a disgrace to the presidency!!

OP: Misleading topic..

like serious Even 'liar' mohammed wud disagree with you....he has made d presidency very very proud

When that drunk Tinibu, who is always slobbering in speech and high all the time described the President as a drunken Fisherman thereby implying a negative stereotype and degenerating a whole tribe of Ijaw and Niger-Deltans as a whole what was Liar Mohammed's take?

Abati should not stop now. I think they are being fed their own medicine.

Touts!

By the way Lai Mohammed has several handles here on NL and is actual heading the e-Touts of ACN here.

Isn't it interesting that the opposition has to lecture the Retardeen on his job and still has to lecture his spokesman too?

Abati is in-between the devil and the blue sea, hence he's forced to throw away all decorum and resort to motor park language. Poor him!

Clitorial.Dept.:
When that drunk Tinibu, who is always slobbering in speech and high all the time described the President as a drunken Fisherman thereby implying a negative stereotype and degenerating a whole tribe of Ijaw and Niger-Deltans as a whole what was Liar Mohammed's take?

Abati should not stop now. I think they are being fed their own medicine.

Touts!

With comments like this from 'supposed' educated peeps, Nigeria is in serious trouble.

For your information, when a person represents an entity(company, state or country) he has a responsibility to perform his duties with decency. There's a reason why customer care agents of telecommunications company would never¹ react to a customer rudely irrespective of what the customer says.

No matter what the opposition says, Abati as the spokesman of the presidency should never resort to foul language.

Attacker got attacked, attacker begs for soft landing. House owner don catch thief, thief come dey beg for mercy dey ask house owner why he go buy AK47 when him wey be thief dey come with ordinary pistol

ACN don fight PDP finish? Na Abati dem wan face now shey?

A-ZeD:

With comments like this from 'supposed' educated peeps, Nigeria is in serious trouble.

For your information, when a person represents an entity(company, state or country) he has a responsibility to perform his duties with decency. There's a reason why customer care agents of telecommunications company would never¹ react to a customer rudely irrespective of what the customer says.

No matter what the opposition says, Abati as the spokesman of the presidency should never resort to foul language.

First of all, u cannot equate the presidency with mtn customer care service. Secondly, should abati 'decently' fold his hands while liar mohammed continues to run his mouth like a mad man. Abati has even helped mohammed by bringing him back to order and restored his mental state to normal once more.

Lai Mohammed should just upgrade his vocabulary Simples. Lai Mohammed also used crude words against Jonathan's government and the ACN sycophants do worse.

Do me I do u, God no go vex. Abati is really an attack dog.

Abati is unprofessional, an official Govt' spokesperson shouldn't be writing carelessly like that, whatever he says is as though the president said it. But face black for Nigeria, dem no see anything wrong. Of course opposition will throw anything at you...but he still need not ignore decorum.

Just this week alone, it was 1st the challenge to a public debate. Now it's a caution to Abati.
____________________
Last Bullet: ACN is also guilty of the same crime. Both ACN & GEJ camp v resorted to war of words & in a war of words, any foul language is allowed.
It's just a pity, that's how politics is played today in Nigeria.

princenonny: Now 'liar' mohammed is begging Reuben to calm down .I guess the heat is now on acn

I tot I was the only person that understood the thread but was so happy to see this as first comment

ACN IS NOTHING BUT
IGNORAMUS SPECIE

Okupe...lai...abati

Any difference?

When low lives stumble upon opportunity to fill spots in aristocracy but won't shed their gutter skins. Their presence at helm of affairs is condescending to the presidency and the Nigerian public. They only attack themselves and don't constructively/proactively tackle issues raised.

Diplomacy, ethics etc are thrown to the dogs only to employ fighting tactics inferior to even dogs. I laugh when I hear abati/okupe described as 'eloquent'. GEJ shld look for calm&collected personalities that can send you to dig ur grave, give u money to go and buy ur burial suit, help u dress up and u bury urself.

Abati talks like an animal with no regard for anybody. Lai is no different, just trying to con us with this. We need more finishing schools in Nigeria

Ok naw...make i go breastfeed my son.brb

I think president jonathan should also learn 2 use polite words and stop calling his opposition rascals

80% of people writing on this page ddnt actually digest the content on the column,the office of the presidency is not a call centre that should reply all myopic thought or ill conceived action Abati should do the office of the presidency a good deed by responding only to meaningful argument rather than doing damge control.......God will save this country

Is Abati worse than fani-kayode? Not much has changed. I wish the presidential spokesmen could be more dignified in their responses to criticisms. It seems being uncouth and foul-mouthed is one of the requirements for the job.

Lai and the ACN need not lose sleep over Dr. Reuben Abati's eloquence. GEJ and his men have bragging rights based on their documented mid-term successes. Abati is bound to be a little more assertive. Too bad for Lai whose claims are free of facts.

booqee: I hate nigerian politics

Same here...

Akiika: Abati is unprofessional, an official Govt' spokesperson shouldn't be writing carelessly like that, whatever he says is as though the president said it. But face black for Nigeria, dem no see anything wrong. Of course opposition will throw anything at you...but he still need not ignore decorum.

also opposition spokesperson also should not talk carelessly and learn to criticise constructively and not blindly. What is good for d goose is also good for the gander. If they criticise carelessly, then they shouldn't blame abati for doing the same.

Am beginning to enjoy the war of words of these two political parties.