Some
social media enthusiasts, on Tuesday, moved against the Minister of Information
and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was quoted as saying that the All Progressives
Congress did not promise to place unemployed graduates on allowance during the
2015 presidential campaign.
The
minister was quoted as saying, “We did not promise N5,000 to unemployed
graduates but to vulnerable Nigerians” at an interactive session with members
of the civil society organisations held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The
statement stirred a fresh controversy on social media, as some youths condemned
Mohammed for repeatedly “lying” about promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari
and his campaign team during the general elections.
Tuesday
was not the first time the former APC’s spokesperson would face a social media
backlash over the controversial stipend.
Few months into the administration, he denied the promise during a national
television programme, causing an outrage on digital media.
Critics
confronted him o social media on Tuesday, urging him to politely tell Nigerians
that the government could not honour its promise rather reversing it. Some
respondents have also raised questions on the difference between “the unemployed”
and “the vulnerable”.
On
Facebook, one Adegbenjo Adedotun said the minister should have clearly defined
what he meant by “the venerable” and how they were different from people who
have been in the labour market for five years. He also wondered how the
government would identify “the venerable”.
Also
commenting on the platform, one Ojeleye Oluwasegun called on the administration
to fashion out plan to urgently bring the change it promised Nigerians
ratherbeing ticklish. The subscriber said
it was unfortunate that many leaders of the ruling party had decided to remain
quiet in the face of controversy over key promises they made during campaign.
Yet,
Samuel Barnabas, in a blog, fired at the minister, querying him for being so
bothered about the welfare scheme when the government would not spend personal
resources on its execution.
“He
is talking as if they will fulfill the promise with their personal money,” he
posted.
Another blogger wrote, “The truth is
that Nigeria is broke, and cannot afford any welfare programme. The minister
should have told Nigerians the truth so that the money can be channeled into
productive and employment-generating ventures. Then, those who will be employed
will take care of the vulnerable.
“Even Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirate are reviewing their welfare packages. The government should know
that it might not be able to end this once it starts. The madness called
subsidy and amnesty handouts might just be a child's play when the unemployment
allowance starts. The government should remember that four years is very close.
This decision should not add to the APC’s litany of errors and amateurish
handling of national issues.”
Meanwhile,
an open letter a United States lawyer, Bruce Fein, has purportedly written to
President Muhammadu Buhari and posted on huffingtonpost.com on Monday sparked a
controversy on Tuesday.
Some
Nigerians said the post, which accused the President of being bias in the anti-corruption
war, may have been sponsored by some Nigerians who are facing corruption
charges.
In the letter, Fein wrote, “To be just, the law must be evenhanded. It cannot, in the manner
of Russian President Vladimir Putin, be something that is given to punish your
enemies and withheld to favour your friends. If so, the law becomes an
instrument of injustice bearing earmarks of the wicked rather than the good.
“In the United States, you declared a policy of ‘zero tolerance’
against corruption. You solicited weapons and other assistance from the United
States government based on that avowal. But were you sincere? During your
election campaign, you promised widespread amnesty, not zero tolerance…
“After you were inaugurated, however, you disowned your
statement and declared you would prosecute past ministers or other officials
for corruption or fraud. And, again, you immediately hedged.”
Responding
to the post which has received widespread online attention, some social media
influencers said the revealed too much detail about Nigerians to have been
written by a foreigners.
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