By Milcah Tanimu
Paul Ibe, the media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of using propaganda as a state policy and lacking credibility. Ibe’s remarks come in response to the recent controversy surrounding a video posted on the President’s official social media account.
On Wednesday, Tinubu’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle shared a video of the President appealing to Nigerians to ease their protests and give his administration more time to address their concerns. Initially, the video was praised on social media for showing empathy toward the protesters, contrasting with the widely criticized speech delivered by the President on Sunday.
However, the situation took a turn when presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga revealed that the video was not new but an old clip from a broadcast made last year. This revelation led to widespread outrage and accusations that the administration was deliberately deceiving the public.
Ibe condemned the Tinubu administration’s actions, describing them as dishonest and manipulative. He argued that the government’s attempt to distract the public with outdated content was emblematic of its overall approach to governance.
“The scenario says a lot about the character of the Tinubu presidency, the proficiency of his media managers, and the attitude that the presidency accords the current #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest,” Ibe stated. He went on to criticize the administration for what he described as a “shameless” use of propaganda, particularly in a time when misinformation is being blamed for public unrest in many parts of the world.
Ibe also highlighted what he sees as a pattern of “flip-flopping” in the Tinubu administration’s policies, arguing that this inconsistency has left the country in a precarious situation since the beginning of Tinubu’s tenure. He suggested that the President’s media team, aware of the shortcomings in the Sunday broadcast, attempted to rectify the situation by resorting to propaganda.
“This type of dysfunctional narrative is why Nigerians have lost confidence in the Tinubu administration,” Ibe asserted. “It is obvious even to the blind and the deaf that this government is deficient in credibility.”
Ibe called for an immediate and sincere apology from the Tinubu presidency and urged the government to abandon its deceptive practices. He emphasized the need for the administration to address the real concerns of the Nigerian people with honesty and transparency.
