Buhari vs Ortom: Why President’s media aide, Shehu needs ‘refresher course’

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu’s reaction to an interview granted by the Executive governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom on Tuesday on Channels Television was not only disappointing to those who are abreast of the reality of carnage in the land, but his statement was an embarrassment to journalism profession.

Sadly, it’s been long Shehu actively practised journalism other than being media aide to top politicians that has made him delved into more of personality packaging, image making and public relations stuff.

In the 10 paragraph statement issued by Garba Shehu on Wednesday, 25th August, 2021 which was widely circulated in electronic, print and online platforms, he failed to address the substance of issues of insecurity and tragedy of governance that was raised by governor Samuel Ortom on the National Television, but deviated and dwelt on windy missives as if concerns raised on the television were new to Nigerians.

Firstly, the issue of killing in Benue State and across the States of the Federation have been the regrettable situation Nigerians have been living with, in the last six years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and there’s nothing to show the situation would abate in the remaining two years. If the mention of killings without federal government decisive action to stop it is interpreted to mean an incitive statement as Garba Shehu would want Nigerians to believe or too toxic for the calibre of a sitting governor to make that kind of comment, why didn’t he mount his own statement to detoxify Ortom’s position by way of explaining reasons there were genocide all over the places including Buhari’s home state, Katsina in the northwestern Nigeria.

As an image maker in his position, one expected Shehu not to gallivant, but to directly address those issues raised. And to ensure unity rather than divisive, religious and ethnic colourated statement.

Unfortunately, from the first to fifth paragraph of Shehu’s statement, it would confuse those who missed Benue governor’s interview with which he was reacting as he failed to lay the background before tackling Ortom.

For emphasis, Shehu’s statement is rewritten thus: “Governor Samuel Ortom has few political principles. We can see this from the fact that he has changed political party five times during his undistinguished career.

“Every time he feels the wind may be blowing in a certain direction, he follows it.

“Unfortunately, for the good citizens of Benue State, the most dangerous direction he blows in today is that of sectarianism and ethnicity.

“Specifically, Ortom stirs up hatred by targeting one single ethnic group in Nigeria – using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide.

“As was the case in Rwanda where the then Hutu leaders of the country incited their countrymen against each other, claiming there was a “secret Tutsi agenda” over the Hutu, Ortom claims there is a “secret Fulanization agenda” over other ethnic groups in his state and in Nigeria. This is a copy of the language of Hutu Power – which falsely, and intentionally, accused the Rwandan Tutsi of plans to dominate the country.”

Well, all of us should be reminded that Garba Shehu’s exempli gratia of Hutu and Tutsi’s 100 days war in Rwanda was primarily a result of class strife and cattle ranching policy. The Tutsi tribe were perceived to have more wealth with cattle ranching at the expense of Hutu who were majorly farmers, but could no longer bear the brunt and that was what led to Rwandan war from 7th April to 15th July, 1994 with over 800,000 dead and over 1,000,000 victims on both sides.

The sad Rwanda incident should be a guide to avoiding pitfalls rather than labelling Ortom an ethinic irredentist. The cattle policy in Rwanda was the exactitude of cattle policy in Nigeria despite the fact that cattle is a personal business of the rearers. If only the law allows government to take over land in public interest, there shouldn’t be reasons land should be taken away for somebody’s personal business of cattle rearing.

Yes, in the said interview, Ortom mentioned President Muhammadu Buhari’s attempt to islamise and Fulanise the nation. Without the mention by Benue State governor, every rational mind already knew that, that has been the situation in the last six years. This is deducible from Fulani herders’ endless attacks in Benue State with massive killings of innocent lives. The carnage going on in Benue State has created artificial internally displaced persons (IDPs) with the Federal government caring less.

Should Ortom who took an oath of office to uphold and protect the people be sitting supine watching while Benue people are being maimed by the herders. For years, the Miyetti Allah, a Fulani Socio-cultural group have made unconscionable statement and threatened to make Benue State ungovernable on television, and in print and other electronic media platforms, but were never cautioned neither were their statements considered incitve by the government controlled DSS for interrogation, yet they made good of their promises by invading Benue State severally.

More so, if Ortom was inciting Christians against Muslims, farmers against herders leading to deaths of innocent lives, according to Shehu’s statement, one tends to question the morality and rationality of a media aide of a President who’s words should shape impression in good or bad light of the happenings in the presidency. The statement didn’t flow from unbiased heart of Mr Shehu because one of the second biggest challenge facing the present administration which no one should pretend is the armed Fulani herders. This menace, if solved would have resolved almost 70% of nation’s security challenges. They have vowed to attack farmers and dared to kill because of anti-grazing laws which is a right of State governors.

Would it be in anyone’s imagination that governor Samuel Ortom was responsible for killings and bandits attacks in Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna with the latest heat in plateau? Even some governors who have turned themselves into bootlickers of the presidency in the obvious fatalities were also not spared of these known marauders. If the passion with which the Federal government was pursuing the ‘cow policy’ was put into tacking insecurity, the nation would have faired better. The latest vexed directive on the creation of cow routes in the 25 out of 36 States of the federation with huge funds already released to some States against the provision of the Land Use Act 1978 is ‘ultra vires’, invalid and would be thrown out, if the directive is tested in the Court of competent jurisdiction.

Shehu should have known that the interview has set in motion the need for crisis communication which would have made it more of defence explanation rather than name calling and wharped logic.

Samson Atekojo Usman is a journalist and can be reached through: ateko2007@gmail.com