By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed
I watched with surprise and amusement a few hours ago as Dr. Reuben Abati one of the Arise TV anchors tries to play the devil’s advocate by defending Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s poverty alleviation program. He spoke with so much emotion condemning his colleagues for stating that Bola Tinubu has done nothing to alleviate poverty in Nigeria, dismissing such remarks as disingenuous, misleading and mischievous. Abati argued that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was designed, among other objectives, to address poverty, adding that journalists could criticize the implementation of the administration’s policies without misinforming the public about its efforts. To Reuben Abati, stating that Tinubu’s government has done nothing to alleviate poverty is wrong and amounts to misleading Nigerians.
Hear him: “The claim that Tinubu has not done anything to alleviate poverty is a lie. The whole purpose of the Renewed Hope Agenda is about poverty alleviation. You can criticize the implementation but do not ‘miseducate’ Nigerians into believing that President Tinubu has not done anything to alleviate poverty; that is mischievous and not right.” He further stressed that journalists had a responsibility to inform the public accurately rather than spread information he considers misleading. ”Journalists have no business misinforming the public.”
And to buttress his point Reuben Abati tried to list the programs he thinks were designed to alleviate poverty in the Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He apparently came for the morning show prepared for he read the list out from a paper. He mentioned NG-CARES: Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus, SOLID, which he noted was designed for the internally displaced persons, The Hope Package, Hope Education Programme and the Renewed Hope Baby Support. In addition, he claimed that the sum of $3.5 billion had been devoted specifically to the government’s poverty alleviation programs.
Clearly, a look at what Abati listed as poverty alleviation programs shows that they are nebulous and amorphous and that was why he said that we can criticize the implementation. He indirectly acknowledged that the said programs are not implementable and have not been implemented. How many Nigerians know of the existence of the programs let alone feeling their impact? The programs are designed not to be implemented. Genuine poverty alleviation programs are designed to build capacity and empower the people to make a living productively. Occasional distribution of handouts to people is not poverty alleviation; it is poverty aggravation. Distribution of handouts is for voters’ inducement and vote-buying, not poverty alleviation. Reuben stated that the sum of $3.5 billion had been set aside specifically for poverty alleviation. We want to know which use the said money has been put. When you design a program and refuse or fail to implement it, it is equivalent to not having any program. It is a fact and Abati has acknowledged, even though half-heartedly, in the past that Tinubu has no program for the nation. Tinubu’s only known program is that of self-succession.
However, it is good to hear Abati speak about the business of a journalist and misinformation. Interestingly Abati belongs to Lagos Media Mafia that almost all the time misinforms Nigerians by churning out wrong and misleading narratives, ethnic profiling, hate speeches and all of that. And so to hear him talk about misinformation which has been their stock in trade is hypocrisy, to say the least. Yes, you cannot talk about propaganda, misinformation and hate speech in the country today without mentioning the Yoruba Press to which Abati belongs.
In the past, Abati has stirred up controversies in the media through his uncharitable remarks and comments about other ethnic groups. Abati is known to be temperamental and can lose his guard sometimes when confronted with facts. And concerned Nigerians are asking: if Tinubu were to be a Northerner or an Igbo man would Abati try to defend his so-called policies the way he did Tinubu’s? Will he play the devil’s advocate if another person that is not Yoruba is in the saddle today? He pontificated about what is right, has he demonstrated that in his previous dealings and comments about others? Or should the right things be done only when it concerns some people?
Without doubts, Reuben Abati is feeling pains because his kinsman who has failed the nation is being criticized. That is understandable. Would he have felt that way were Tinubu to be from the North or South East? Nigerians have always known that Reuben Abati is with Tinubu, his half-hearted criticism of his policies notwithstanding.
Nigerians tend to blame the problem of the country solely on poor leadership. But poor followership is part of the problem. Blind solidarity is another of the problems. Nigerians have the tendency to be selective in judgment. When somebody of the same ethnic group or religion with you fails, you should not criticize but support him but if he is from another group or religion he should be torn apart. If somebody as educated and as informed as Dr. Reuben Abati could try to defend Tinubu’s spurious poverty alleviation program, what hope do we have as a nation? Nigerians, shine your eyes. Make effective use of your PVC in the forthcoming election.
Hajia Hadiza Mohammed
An actress, social activist, politician
London, UK.
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Opinion