[b]Spin doctors, the ones renowned for their skills in advancing government propaganda know the wisdom of subtlety and skilful persuasion instead of unhandily and shiftily passing off barefaced lies as truth. Proselytising – even for a government with mounds of goodwill like that of President Muhammadu Buhari – requires some expertise that the administration needs to urgently learn.

[/b]The newspeak by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to Buhari, Garba Shehu, heralding 100 days of the administration is beyond woeful. It is full of contradictions, needless self-salutations and puerile lies. Coming from a government that is 97 days old today, one wonders what dramatic flourish they will not envision for their 365 and 1461 days.

Shehu’s piece gives the impression that his boss does not have a blueprint of what to do with victory and they are currently winging out governance. After spending years rhapsodising what they – the opposition – will do differently if they snatch power from the Peoples Democratic Party, they are fast becoming what they criticised. Their unending obsession with the PDP, the unrestrained and now boring commentary on PDP’s faults, and the constant appeal for patience now seems like a riveting distraction; to keep the public busy so they will not have to own up for their current lack of ideas and ideological offerings.




The SSA can disown ‘One hundred things Buhari will do in 100 days’ and ‘My covenant with Nigerians’ but he cannot deny that the contents of those documents were extrapolated from APC’s manifesto put out during electioneering. The wordings might not be exactly the same but the scale of promises was just as ambitious, declarative and far reaching. If we distance Buhari from his campaign promises, he at least cannot deny the promises stated in thisisbuhari.com, a document circulated in December 2014.

As the ‘ghostwriter’ of ‘My covenant with Nigerians’ noted, the document is an abridged version of the party manifesto. If ‘My covenant with Nigerians’ was not Buhari’s thoughts as is being intoned presently, why were there no debunks before now? Why wait until your 100 days report card is due? Whether Buhari’s media team authorised the documents or not matters less as to whether they are on track of fulfilling the promises they made. Shehu says he can bet his last kobo that Buhari neither saw nor authorised these documents. Sophistry has a new name and it is resident in Aso Rock.

The question is, the one he saw and authorised – the party manifesto – how far has he laid the groundwork for its realisation? How far has Buhari gone with the promise to, for instance, “initiate action to amend the Nigerian constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states in order to entrench true federalism and the federal spirit” as stated? He does not seem to be talking of restructuring the nation to make administration less unwieldy anymore, what happened? What of the promises he made in the sectors of education, infrastructure, security, economy and yes, foreign policy? How is he driving the reforms he stated in his manifesto? By his body language or through a clear and defined vision? Does Shehu realise that after the 100 days assessment, we would soon be assessing Buhari’s one year in office? His promises remain the yardstick by which we shall measure his effectiveness.

Furthermore, Shehu should stop insulting us by telling us ‘Buhari has given the job his best shot and the whole country is saying that we never had it so good.’ Such hyberbolic statements are disrespectful to both Nigerians who voted Buhari and those who voted against him for good reasons. Where was the poll carried out where Nigerians spoke in unison and agreed that their lives are perfect now since Buhari became President? If what has been seen so far is Buhari’s best, then Nigeria is in for a long and difficult ride. And no, Buhari’s endorsement by both the US President, Barack Obama, and UN President, Ban Ki-Moon, count for nothing. Those men are politicians who say what they are supposed to say even when it is either irrelevant or banal. Obama once praised former President Goodluck Jonathan such that the man questioned – in his infamous spiel, “I am not a General, Goliath, Pharaoh or a King” why Nigerians refused to see any good in him despite those high profile commendations.

Buhari was sold to us as the man with a magic wand capable of solving Nigeria’s recurrent corruption problems. By the time I got to the part of the document that states, ‘President Buhari is being praised at home and abroad for his ongoing fight against corruption….’ I had to wonder what the ‘‘ongoing fight against corruption’’ was all about and where it was taking place. What we have had so far is propaganda and lots of noise about who and who stole what.

There is practically no ruler in Nigeria – military or democratic – that has not paid the obligatory lip service to fighting corruption. The collapse of the First Republic via the coup in 1966 happened partly because some soldiers were disgusted by the depth of the corruption in government.

There is no point asking Shehu how the documents being denied presently came into existence; we were alive when the Third Term Agenda was blamed on the printer’s devil. What Shehu owes us now is to explain what Mr. President plans to do to tackle corruption beyond the simplistic and unrealistic mantra borrowed from Narendra Modi, ‘I won’t steal and I’ll not allow others to do it!’

How does the President monitor and prevent people from stealing in a country as large and as complicated as Nigeria? If an anti-corruption agenda can work simply by whom the President permits to steal, a President like Olusegun Obasanjo would have solved the problem long ago! That was one man who hounded those who stole without permission.

Shehu, in that same press release says that ‘Buhari will turn out to be a leader in the tradition of Lee Kuan-Yu and India’s current reform-minded Prime Minister Modi… He may however differ with (sic) them by not micro-managing things.’ A President whose anti-corruption plans is about who is allowed to steal is already a micro-manager.

Shehu cannot convince us this government is serious about fighting corruption until we see their action plan. How do they plan to take the anti-corruption agenda to wards and local government levels? Is their strategy bottom-up or top-down approach?

My advice to Shehu is to take a deep breath and stop talking for a while so they can put their house in order. This administration has talked so much like a tape on repeat. The energy deployed on talking could be useful for other ventures. Nigeria is not a stranger to empty rhetoric. This government talks too much for people who are supposed to be rebuilding a vandalised country. That emphasis on talks without requisite action makes them look unserious. The APC should spend some time poring over their manifesto and reminding themselves of their promises to Nigerians. That, hopefully, might put a spring in their steps.


http://www.punchng.com/opinion/viewpoint/buharis-1461-days-what-will-garba-shehu-do/

the 2 dullard defenders bore their fangs too early
Their mission to deceive and deny is now legible to the blind and audible to the deaf

I will read later

Haba! How many pages letter is this?! Brb.........

I Alhaji Shehu Usman mai doya endorse this article. So far this administration is fighting corruption on the pages of news papers cos they themselves are corrupt. Ask fashola.
Garba Shehu and APC are still playing opposition.

You can only fool some people all the time, bt can never fool everybody all the time.

k

It's getting clearer and clearer to many change mongers that they've been scammed... After Buhari says one thing, osibanjo will bring his version, lie Mohamed will bring his own, then femi Adesina and shehu garba will bring their own.
A mastubater told me yesterday that he doesn't know who to believe anymore, that not even the SO-CALLED messiah.

The question I want to ask is that ,why must apc be the ones telling and listing their achievements to the masses. Are we not meant to see and comend them ourselves?


All those that want to package one chance for me in the form of change oya make una gerara here mehn.from the wailing association of nigeria (wan).

Wailing for a better nigeria.

Lovely article.

Cool

adjoviomole:
Isi

Imi

ok

Tinubu and his yorrober wailler at work. When it doesn't favor them all their lagos-ibadan express media will be rolled out for their useless jobs. Carry go Mr Buhari, your 100 days in office is the best so far and we know it. Tinubu and his yorrober media can go and die. Proudly 5%

to my knowledge, Buhari never promised anything in 100 days. he cautioned against it when he was campaigning in chatam house. The APC party was desperate no doubt, but Buhari himself didn't promise anything in 100 days, so his integrity still remains intact. #your tantrums are very much welcomed.

kossyablaze:
Imi

Copy fowl must u buy land on nairaland.

mars123:
to my knowledge, Buhari never promised anything in 100 days. he cautioned against it when he was campaigning in chatam house. The APC party was desperate no doubt, but Buhari himself didn't promise anything in 100 days, so his integrity still remains intact. #your tantrums are very much welcomed.

Were his supporters or "voters" in Chatam house?

Insightful!

adjoviomole:


Copy fowl must u buy land on nairaland.

smh

"My advice to Shehu is to take a deep breath and stop talking for a while so they can put their house in order. This administration has talked so much like a tape on repeat"



One bottle of 'Moet' for this writer

lalasticlala this thread deserve to be in head qtrs.

I wonder when this paid wailers will stop wailing about 197 days when their former clueless corrupt pay master looted the treasury leaving this new government almost redundant. Corruption is truly fighting back through this wailing agenda!!!
www.nairaland.com/attachments/2739269_clvrh3ow8aawwho_jpegb9410a887cc29efdba8c24c0caffdad6

People have been writing acticles and will continue to do so. But one thing is clear, that in a complex and stiff society like ours, it takes a determined, focused and strong mind to outrightly change years of moral decadence, lost values, corrupt minds, pervert mentally and irrational ills to what is obtainable by generally acceptable human standards and in advanced clans. Why will you want to build on a faulty, substandard,shaking foundation with a dilapidated structure if you don't purge, thoroughly clense and purify of any known causative factor limitating fundamental growth. We wanted change and yet want the old system to continue( although some from a particular part of this country does not want better change). The few corrupt rich wants the norm to continue and the children of the poor keeps celebrating and take excuse for their corrupt life styles. A child that has been known for failure needs to go through processes for success to come. Nigeria must be better in my generation and my children. Its getting better and it will gather momentum. We must support the anti corruption program.

Issorait

Am not in the mood to read too long stories like this...

Ok

[size=13pt]STRANGE TURN OF EVIDENTS FROM APC.

AND THE LIST GROWS.

[b]WELL APC & DULLARD KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

Buhari IS THE ONLY LEADER TO THINK MICHELLE IS THE PRESIDENT OF WEST GERMANY.

Buhari IS THE ONLY NIGERIAN LEADER THEY WONT LET ADDRESS THE NATION DIRECTLY,
SO HE DOES NOT ADDRESS TINUBU AS AWOLOWO SINCE HE THINKS MICHELLE IS THE PRESIDENT OF WEST GERMANY.

NIGERIA'S ECONOMY THAT WAS REGARDED WORLD-WIDE AS GROWING IS NOW IN JEOPARDY

DULLARD IGNORES FEDERAL CHARACTER AND APPOINTS ONLY THE NORTH TO KEY POSITIONS.
DULLARD IN A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM IS PRACTICING NORTHOCRACY.
GOVT OF THE NORTH FOR THE NORTH BY THE NORTH


BOKO HARAM MEMBERS WERE ARRESTED IN THE SOUTH EAST & SOUTH WEST

BEGGARS THREATENED THE GOVERNMENT OF KADUNA STATE.

DULLARD IS THE 1ST PRESIDENT TO TAKE HIS CHILD ON A GOVERNMENT FUNDED OFFICIAL TRIP.
AND THE TRIP WAS PAID FOR BY THE TAX OF THE NIGERIAN MASSES.

₦AIRA HAS FALLEN SO MANY TIMES SINCE DULLARD & APC GOT IN.

DULLARD HAS CUT OFF THE SOUTH-WEST THAT GAVE HIM THE PRESIDENCY.

GIVES ONLY THE NORTH NICE APPOINTMENTS, WHILE IGNORING THE REST OF THE COUNTRY

MAKE'S SURE ONLY THE NORTH GETS SENATE PRESIDENT & SPEAKER OF REPS.

GRACIOUSLY GIVES THE EAST OF NIGERIA BOKO HARAM PRISONERS

WONDERFUL GIVES THE SOUTH-SOUTH NUCLEAR REACTORS THAT OTHERS KNOW IS A DEATH TRAP.

BOKO HARAM HAS INCREASED IT'S KILLING, EVEN BURNING THE HOUSE OF TOP MILITARY MAN.

BOKO HARAM IS NOW SENDING CHILDREN TO BOMB FOR THEM.

DULLARD DOES NOT WANT TO SUPPORT THE NIGER DELTA GUYS WHO REFUSED VIOLENCE TO GO TO SCHOOL!
WHO SAID DULLARD & APC ARE NOT WORKING[/b][/size] [size=36pt] ?[/size]

....

good to go