Kindergarten insult in humourless Aso Villa By Idowu Akinlotan August 18th, 2013 by Larigold President Goodluck Jonathan’s media adviser, Reuben Abati, is not sure whether to categorise the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman’s memorable putdown of the president’s leadership style as libellous and defamatory or as indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperations. Whatever it is, the APC chairman, Bisi Akande, obviously ruffled the feathers of the presidency when he dismissed Dr Jonathan’s style, perhaps even the president himself, as kindergarten in grappling with national issues and problems. Dr Abati’s fiery and florid rebuke of Chief Akande, for reasons only the press can explain, received even wider publicity than the original attack, now famously dubbed the ‘kindergarten insult.’ It is not known whether Dr Abati initiated the reply to Chief Akande on his own or whether he was prompted by the president. If the former, it is a depressing indication that the normally urbane and cultured media adviser has become infected with the melancholy permeating the humourless Nigerian presidency since the unsmiling and sensual Gen Sani Abacha took the reins of power, after an annoying hiatus, from the deceptively friendly Gen Ibrahim Babangida’s military presidency. But if the latter, it is a mere confirmation that redeeming Aso Villa’s deeply ingrained humourlessness may be an impossible mission. A smart president would have punned kindergarten and deployed it against Chief Akande. The APC chairman had two Saturdays ago described the Jonathan presidency in the following words: “I have my reasons not to admire President Goodluck Jonathan. I have not found him to be a serious-minded leader. Jonathan is Nigeria’s problem today. He is not a thinking leader. I have had two meetings with him since 2011. I have had a long telephone conversation with him. I have written him twice discussing the serious challenges facing the country, but he has not found the courtesy to reply. He has reduced governance to kindergarten level. He is not serious-minded.” It takes exceptional literary skills to turn this fairly harmless, albeit wounding, but descriptively accurate statement into a denigration of the Jonathan presidency. And the accomplished Dr Abati, as everyone knows, has more than a passing knowledge of literary facilities. Hear Dr Abati: “We urge Chief Akande and his fellow travellers to remember that there are laws against libel and defamation of character in this country even if there are no legal impediments to indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperations. It is certainly rude, ill-mannered, uncharitable and hypocritical for Chief Akande to falsely and cavalierly allege that a President, who toils tirelessly every day of the week, evolving and implementing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems, is handling national issues with levity. Also, nothing else but gross ignorance and lack of consideration could have led Chief Akande to refer to a President who, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice-president and president, has far more experience of governance at the highest level than him and his preferred “candidates”, as a kindergarten leader.” Dr Abati was not only a respected columnist, he was a leader writer and, if I am not mistaken, at one time a teacher of literature. He knows very well that describing a president’s style as kindergarten, while it may injure his pride and the collective pride of those paid to advise him, is certainly not unpatriotic, let alone amount to denigration. I could prove over a few paragraphs that Dr Jonathan’s style has truly reduced governance to kindergarten level, but why do I want to repeat Chief Akande or expose myself unnecessarily to allegations of defending the APC? I think it is sufficient to merely restate the indisputable fact that the Jonathan presidency has not offered a cerebral approach to Nigeria’s problems, just as Chief Akande poignantly concluded.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 19:26:35 +0000
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