Former Nigeria’s vice president, and presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has replied vice president Kashim Shettima over his joke shortly after the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) HERE, that he would retire Atiku to Fombina where he would be ‘rearing goats and broilers’.
But Atiku, through his special assistant on Public Communications, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, in a statement said while the only legacy Shettima left was transforming Borno state from ‘the Home of Peace to home hell fire’, he also failed abysmally as governor and chief security officer of the state.
According to Atiku, it is laughable that Shettima who has the most woeful governance record in Nigerian history and could not lift the people of Borno state from poverty is planning on investing in Atiku.
“He (Shettima) loves to crack lackluster jokes at every given opportunity. Last year, he said Vice-President Osinbajo should have been an ice cream man instead of a politician. Later on, he said Nigeria needed a leader like Sani Abacha.
“As part of his circus act, he visited the annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in an oversize suit, a pair of sneakers and a poorly knotted tie. Shettima needs to decide if he wants to be a statesman or Baba Sala of blessed memory.
“His behaviour is certainly unbefitting for a man who currently holds the exalted office of Vice-President, even if temporarily,” Atiku said.
The former vice president said it had become Shettima’s stock in trade to deride others because he had nothing worthwhile to say about himself or his principal, Bola Tinubu, whose three months in office have only worsened poverty and inflation.
He recalled that Shettima was appointed as commissioner for finance and later became governor of Borno State, adding that those who brought him into government had high expectations for him having come from the banking sector.
“During his tenure as governor between 2011 and 2019, Borno State was taken over by terrorists completely. He ignored a security report about an impending attack on Chibok which ultimately led to the abduction of over 250 schoolgirls.
“Specifically, the head of WAEC’s National Office in Nigeria, Charles Eguridu, stated in 2014 that WAEC had informed Shettima about the danger of holding exams in Chibok and advised that the students be relocated to Maidguri which was relatively safer. Shettima refused to relocate the students and they were abducted, half of whom have not been seen again till today.
“Even though he left government four years ago, the millions of residents of Borno State have yet to recover from the mistake called Shettima. Rather than be penitent, he continues to move about like a clown, making unsolicited dry jokes about others.”
Atiku advised the Vice-President to stick to praying to God for forgiveness for thwarting the destiny of the millions of people of Borno State.
“We advise Kashim Shettima to spend the remainder of his days praying to God everyday for forgiveness for destroying the lives of the millions of people of Borno State rather than making dry and insipid jokes at those who have actually bettered the lives of people.
“His lack of sophistication is eroding the elegance of the Office of the Vice-President. Men of honour have held that position in the past and Shettima should learn from the examples they led in public decency. In any case, he would do well by attending a finishing school on Atiku’s scholarship and learn how to behave like a polished statesman,” he added.
