Abuja – President Goodluck Jonathan’s most loyal employees, Labran Maku, Doyin Okupe, Reno Omokri, and Reuben Abati, are currently at daggers drawn over which one of them should respond to UK Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Mr Cameron, while speaking at Davos, asked Nigeria to account for $100 billion oil money accrued to the nation in one year. Earlier, the former minister of education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, had asked the Federal Government to account for $67 billion left in the nation’s account by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
While Dr. Ezekwesili was promptly dealt with by both Maku and Okupe, the presidential spokesmen are yet to respond to Cameron.
According to a source in Aso Rock, the four media-aides-of-sorts are currently in a power show over which one of them is most senior, and thus, should have the privilege of writing a strongly worded rebuttal to the UK Prime Minister.
“These are men who take their jobs very seriously,” said the source. “Up till now, it has been opposition, activists, El Rufai, and former civil servants that they have been writing responses to, but this time that it is the British Prime Minister disrespecting our President, they all want to be the one to write the response.”
The source also revealed that the tussle among the so-called Attack Dogs has gotten so fierce that there are fears they may all be plotting to start publishing press-releases against each others press releases.
“You have to understand that this is a big fish (Cameron),” said the source, “It is like a once-in-a-career opportunity. So far, it is only Reno that everyone is sure would not be the one to answer Cameron; you know that him, he only has twitter. But Okupe and Maku have even ganged up to fight Abati who thinks he’s the most senior so he should be the one to write the response. He (Abati) is also telling everyone in Aso Rock that his English is better than the rest.”
While the battle over who should respond to David Cameron continues amongst the President’s media aides, Nigerians have no choice but to wait to learn what Nigeria’s official response to the accusation of mismanagement is.
-Joe Aibozaw