₦airaland Forum

blacksta: Laptops confirmation

Laptop or no Laptop, when an adult cries/whine like a baby online and points his finger at GEJ, i ask questions, i don't just attack GEJ. your problems existed before he became president.

i'm a Gej supporter but the article makes a lot of sense, gives you the feeling of stop whining, do your job and let posterity judge you.

lmao. maybe the guy has not slept for days. he is preparing for election, so it can be ignored.

Without conducting a poll or a content analysis, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has declared himself the most criticized president in the world. That I guess is what he is being told by some favour-seeking politicians and ‘media consultants’. But from experience I know why the people who peddle those tales to the president do so: one, to make his media managers look bad; two, to bring in their own men if possible; and three, to make money. Before I however conclude on what President Jonathan’s real problem is, I want to share my experience with the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on this same issue.

In my first year working for him, I was aware that many people were telling my late principal how his efforts were not appreciated by Nigerians because of media opposition. Both the Minister of Information, Mr John Odey, and myself were blamed for this situation. These were, however, mere whispering campaigns until the day I got a document from the president directing me and Odey to read before meeting with him to discuss it. The document in question was a media strategy paper from one of the aides retained from the President Olusegun Obasanjo era. Even though the man wrote that it was strictly a secret paper, the president forwarded copies to myself and Odey.

The paper brought to the fore the challenges I faced and which I think any serious journalist in government would face. My understanding of an effective media strategy was for government to address the issues critics were raising and that was the approach I adopted which my late principal appreciated even though there was also pressure on him that by not “fighting back”, I was not showing enough commitment to his administration. This was the same argument advanced in the ten-page paper which the author apparently never imagined would come back to me.

The “foundation” to the submission, according to the man, centered on the fact that “Nigeria is today being led by a visionary, self-less and committed leader but how many Nigerians know about him or his vision? Whereas government has done so much and achieved positive results in so short a time, most of the achievements are not known to the public and other critical constituencies, largely because of the barrage of negative press coming out of the Nigerian and international media—both in hardcopies of Nigerian newspapers and other internet media.”

According to the official who incidentally was brought to the villa by Obasanjo, and is a Yorubaman, a good media manager should be able to sell Yar’Adua’s “gentle mien and approach (dialogue and consensus building) in contrasts to President Obasanjo’s aggressive and combative approach” aside Yar’Adua’s “personal integrity and simplicity which Nigerian masses can identify with and the ambitious vision 20-20-20 can be positively projected for maximum redefining.”

After the long preamble, the official now recommended a Media and Information Management Team which would require “co-option of good writers drawn from editors of Nigerian newspapers” to be domiciled in his office! There were other recommendations that would require huge capital outlay for both domestic and international propaganda.

When I got a copy of this paper with a directive that myself, Odey and the man should meet with him (Yar’Adua) four days later, I could not contain my anger as I sent a memo back to the president that same day. I am reproducing excerpts from my memo which underscores my own understanding of what I consider to be the role of a journalist in government.

“I have received an invitation to a meeting with Your Excellency on Monday with an accompanying document on ‘Media and Information Management’ and I hasten to say that the meeting is not only unnecessary, the motive behind it is unfortunate. I wish to inform Your Excellency that the so-called strategy paper is a rehash of an eight million Dollar proposal from a consultant promoted by…to me upon assuming office last year but which I turned down because I believed then, and even more so now, that that is not the way to go.

“While I will in a separate paper counter each of the false assumptions which inform the conclusion that there is information management deficit, I wish to reiterate my stand that on balance, this government and indeed President Yar’Adua has a relatively fair media image. While it can be better, the approach being proposed is unnecessary, wasteful and will at the end be counterproductive.

“This ridiculous idea of selective newspaper cuttings (of negative media news reports or articles) to the president has a purpose: either to portray me as incompetent or create the image of a media siege so that some consultants (and necessarily huge resources) can be deployed to combat this exaggerated problem. While some people can bring in ‘experts’ who they assume have the magic wand to ensure that the media begin to celebrate the president and the government without any criticism, the problem is that the only beneficiaries of such self-deluding enterprise are the consultants and their promoters, not the president or the government.

“Your Excellency, I scan the Nigerian media everyday and I also do same for American and British media and I am aware our media is not as cynical and contemptuous of their government and the man in power as the British or American media. While some people have issues with the style of government, there is still a general perception that the president is a man of integrity and has his plan but rather slow in his approach. Because some key issues like power emergency/Niger Delta Summit/Infrastructure are yet to be resolved, I am aware of current media challenge. But I also know that this can be an advantage because when the media create low expectations, as they do now, results will be easy to see and appreciate as it would ultimately happen in this instance. On the other hand, when you pump the people up with expensive media propaganda, then you create problem when results don’t match expectations…”

After reading my memo, President Yar’Adua cancelled the meeting earlier called and just directed that myself, Odey and the man should iron out the issue. Not surprisingly, the man felt so small at our meeting chaired by Odey and three weeks later, he was sacked by the president. But it would not be the end of the intrigues I would survive in the villa nor of the constant bombardment of the president with insinuation that the media was his problem.

Now that President Jonathan is also facing a barrage of criticism, he has promised to be “the most praised president” by 2013. If I understand that statement clearly, what it means is that the critics are justified because the president has not met their expectations and that by next year, his performance would have been such that they would begin to sing his praise. But we all know that is not what President Jonathan meant to convey. He feels he is being unfairly attacked by the media.

That, however, is not true. The fact is that the conventional media is not more critical of President Jonathan than his predecessors. The real problem this president is facing is from his social media “friends”, the crowd he carefully cultivated and set out to please as the first “Nigerian Facebook President”. Unfortunately, he ought to have been warned that the social media can cut both ways. So if he in 2010 enjoyed public adulation at the expense of the “Yar’Adua cabal”, it is naïve not to understand that he is playing in a jungle where rumour peddling, hate mongering, bitter retorts, malicious gossips and innuendoes are also fair games.

It is, however, patently dishonest for his handlers to argue that those who criticize or hurl personal abuse at the president do so because he is from Niger Delta (or whatever other ridiculous reasons being invented). No, it is because he is the president of Nigeria while his implacable traducers even enjoy attacking him for the simple reason that he has made them to know that they are getting to him.

What makes the situation so pathetic is that those close to the president refuse to locate when the real problem began, especially with regards to genuine supporters who now feel disappointed. It all started in January following the sudden withdrawal of fuel subsidy on the first day of the year. Not only was the timing inauspicious (with many still in their villages) there was also the question of trust since government officials had announced that the policy (which by the way I wholeheartedly endorse) would not commence until the second quarter of the year.

To compound the situation, revelations began to come from the probe of fuel subsidy payments in 2011 of how billions (in Dollar) of public funds were practically shared by some unscrupulous marketers and their government collaborators, all under President Jonathan’s watch. Then, on a rare interview on national television which was watched by many Nigerians (at home and in the Diaspora), he angrily proclaimed that he doesn’t give a damn about what people feel on his refusal to publicly declare his assets. With all these, the president frittered away enormous goodwill though there is still time to make amends not with the critics but with the silent majority of Nigerians who only desire good leadership and appreciate genuine efforts.

What Dr Goodluck Jonathan must, however, come to terms with is that presidents don’t crave momentary applause as he seems to be doing; they target history. To his credit, the power situation has improved significantly but the things that would earn him enduring legacy in the sector (or in any other sector for that matter) are not necessarily decisions that would provoke instant praise. The way things are in Nigeria today, the president is like a man charged with leading an orchestra. To succeed, he must learn to back the crowd.

But here is the greater lesson for President Jonathan: Asked on Monday how he took actor Clint Eastwood’s bizarre attack on him (characterised by an empty chair) at the Republican Convention, President Barack Obama said: “One thing about being president or running for president—if you’re easily offended, you should probably choose another profession.”

http://www.ynaija.com/olusegun-adeniyi-kills-it-today-the-president-and-his-social-media-friends/

[quote author=Ile-Ife][size=16pt]They should just censor the word garri like they do to curse words.[/size][/quote]

I don't like Singaporeans, so i don't give a damn what happens to their ship. That's one of the most xenophobic countries you'd ever visit. They even have the capacity to store more oil than lots of oil producing countries. racist bastards. abeg, shoot the Singaporeans on that ship, syphon the oil and sink the bloody ship.

[size=16pt]They should just censor the word garri like they do to curse words.[/size]

bittyend: So, I'm muslim now because I'm speaking the realist shiit you ever heard, no?

You fools have allowed propaganda and indoctrination to overshadow the brain cells God gave you, and insecurity has made most of you insane.

I'll pray for you stupid muthaphuckers.

Ah nairaland own don be today.

bittyend: STFU!! WHo told you I'm a muslim? GTFOH!!

Mujaheed no vex go throw bomb for nairaland o. you go fear online bombing.

And few weeks later, Papa Tutu died of heart attack or after a brief illness. They might have poisoned the old man already, and we are here typing on the internet. Mossad/CIA fear them, na their way.

Chanchit: Kai mana...! Who told you they are Igbo..? They are Hausa joor...

Agidingbi = Lagos
Eleyele = Ibadan
Sabon-Gari = Bauchi
Nyanya = Abuja
Challenge = Ibadan
Mokola = Ibadan
Fajuyi = Ado-Ekiti
Ojo = Ibadan
Kwararafa = Kano
Kasuan Nama = Kano
Ajegunle!!! = Lagos
Makoko Malabu Beach house = Lagos
Umulere and Amulere lga

"
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"Surround your self with your brothers, so that you can instruct them to attack your enemy". Really?

Gbawe: The truth is that others are not be 'infested' with the madness of retrogressive self-delusion and ethnic jingoism Nigerians wallow in. Even as folks from a certain region of Nigeria obsess about attacking Tinubu daily, neutral non-Nigerians will only look at them as self-delusional and hypocritical because they are only left to conclude Tinubu is sane from dispassionately looking at the madness called Nigeria and observing the character of her 'major players'.

Non-Nigerians will, for example, look at how GEJ , the current President with the power to deliver progress, is empowering corrupt individuals (like Anyim, Allison-Madueke, Adoke Bello, Okupe, Haliru Mohammed et al) who are not currently getting things done and wonder about the lack of focus and dearth of critical thinking afflicting Nigerians to the extent some shout "Tinubu" daily when he is not even in Government.

Condoleeza Rice, as an example of a pragmatic US Political strategist, will no doubt come to conclude Tinubu is better than most others using critical indices that matter even if Nigerians want to show idiocy to the entire world maligning the man daily. US unspoken shift in foreign policy now includes aiding African Nations to succeed to faciliate the idea of "Africans remaining in Africa". Rice, in that context, will therefore conclude that Nigeria is hideously corrupt and that all top-level Party bosses/supremo and political players have to thrive deploying a certain level of corruption. She then faces the task of looking at those who remain progressive and still get things done even in that ultra corrupt environment. Who is close to Tinubu in this regard? OBJ, Anenih, Bode George, Ahmadu Ali, Atiku, Ciroma, Yakassai, IBB, Kalu et al? They are all corrupt yet totally indifferent to developmental political strategy !!!!!

Accepted also, by those who don't fool themselves, is the fact that Tinubu is a 'man of ideas' while the political ruminations of most of our cretinous leaders consist of running to Abuja for allocation. Tinubu is an advocate of States increasing their IGR and relying less on the centre for developmental cash. He championed the usage of PPP (public private partnership) as a way to develop society using private sector cash. He introduced bond issuance as a way for States to raise funds at a stage other neanderthals laughed because their minds limited them to seeing Abuja as the only source of cash.

Most importantly, the balanced and neutral non-Nigerian political observer will note that while others, ten times out of ten, will support the most indolent, criminal-minded and clueless retrogressive 'tools' available like Andy Uba, Oyinlola, Alao Akala et al, Tinubu gave Nigeria one of it's best Governor ,i.e Fashola, and supported social radicals, undoubted achievers and progressive men elsewhere. The USA, UK and even our African neigbhours will be impressed by such behaviour given the reality they accept about Nigeria we ourselves display too much emotion and ethnic bias to factor into our thoughts or talk. The sum total of their pragmatic thoughts will be that Tinubu s a very sane and 'useful' Nigerian leader. Perhaps the sort they must support even if out of self-interest. Others remain too greedy, unintelligent, extremist and callous to the extent they have no reverse gear and will only encourage the sort of chaos we are seeing now.

In case some have not appreciated what Americans and others know to be true about Nigeria, our challenge remains finding 'crooks' who give back and aid development while we continue our evolutionary march towards an age of the "beautiful ones".

Thanks man, you made my day.

Demdem: He looks more like a jury member than an accused IMO. The same court that threw away the Govt case and lambasted the numerous lawyers that came to represent the govt. Up till date, they still have nothing to rope on Oju-yobo's head

Thumbs Up.

It's meant for the museum, just like every keke Napep should be.

Niseamaka: Feeling Pain?. About what?, about an immensely fulfilled 92 years old retired supreme court justice and his son, both of whom excelled academically, professionally and in their respective family lives as husbands and fathers. What pain are you feeling about charleyboy, a man who have been tremendously successful since he came back from the States after his studies with his American spouse and established his entertainment business, creating many jobs. In what way or ways is your own family better off than the Oputas. Compare your father`s life and career with justice Oputa`s, and your own life and career or any of your sibling`s with charles Oputa,then tell yourself the bitter truth.

Ooi, you be PUMA (Oya), you dey be. the mods edited the post. i posted the interview the way other news portals presented it. You are meant to think he disowned his son before reading the article. if you had gone through the article, your slow brain would have known i was referring to a previous post insulting when i said "i feel your pain" because i, like everyone else almost had an heart attack [/i]when i saw the title of the article. [i]Arindin trying to sound intelligent, ode oshi.

sojjy: El-rufai argues fine,no sentiment,no bias.Mallam is a man I would love to see occupying the post of president in Nigeria.He's a true Nigerian that really want the best for his dearest country.

Please..... The guy is like balotelli, he might sound reasonable today and tomorrow morning talk like a bitter bias tribal partisan douche-bag. he is unpredictable. he will be a dictator and undemocratic if he is privileged to lead Nigeria. he will do well in a post where he is set loose to do whatever he likes.