A post on the Twitter page of
a former Minister of the Federal Capital
Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, describing
President Goodluck Jonathan as "docile",
has sparked a debate.
El-Rufai, who is the Interim Deputy National
Secretary of the opposition All Progressives
Congress, had on Saturday quoted a tweet
and its accompanying picture of one of his
followers, Lauretta Onochie, on his Twitter
page , which some people deemed anti-Jonathan.
The picture showed the President on his knees
praying to God. However, the message which
accompanied his picture stated, "Many prayers
of the lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless,
hopeless and useless leader!"
In an apparent move to shrug off initial criticism
that he is a religious bigot, El-Rufai, who
describes himself as a "certified ruffler of
feathers" tweeted that he would have gladly
posted such a tweet on his Twitter page if the
President were a Muslim praying in the mosque.
"If he (a muslim President) prays instead of
honest work, yes!" he tweeted, in response to a
query by one Editi Akpan, who was worried about
the tweet.
Quoting the words of American born poet, Joybell
C, El-Rufai wrote that he has a message for
members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
and supporters of the President whom he
described as "Jonathanians." He wrote, "No, I am
not bitter, I am not hateful, and I am not
unforgiving. I just don't like you."
But the Presidency has reacted to the Twitter
post, describing it as mockery of the office of
the President. Special Assistant to the President
on New Media, Reno Omokri, in a tweet to El-
Rufai, branded him as a "bitter" fellow.
"It is only a sick and bitter fellow like you that
would stoop so low to mock a man praying to his
God. What type of man mocks a person who is
praying to God? Even if you don't respect your
President, at least, respect God!" Omokri stated.
However, the controversial tweet has attracted
mixed reactions from Nigerians on social media.
While some Nigerians condemned the former
minister for the message others argued that the
adjectives used in the tweet truly describe
Jonathan.
Those who carpeted El-Rufai said they had
expected him to have steered clear of such
tweets and not amplify such on social media.
According to them the President deserves some
respect and putting such a post on his (el-
Rufai's) Twitter page was out of place.
A Twitter user, Ladi Owolabi, said the words used
on the President were too heavy. "As an opinion
leader and a former minister el-Rufai should
know better than retweeting that rubbish? You
(el-Rufai) should be totally ashamed of
yourself!"
Another Twitter user, Bryan Chaut, described el-
Rufai's actions as a misbehaviour, adding that
he needed to turn a new leaf.
"So the accidental Mallam misbehaved again
today. We have become too wise in our own eyes
that we mock people who pray to God. Mallam's
style is always the same, he asks someone to
tweet something and then he retweets. This isn't
the first time. Mallam and his paid goons need
to repent," Chaut wrote on the micro-blogging
service.



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