Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina says he has been insulted and abused by Nigerians since the #ENDSARS protests began in the country.
In a post on his website late Thursday, Adesina said the abuse followed a video of an old interview he granted Channels Television on the Revolution Now protests – an agitation he described as a “child’s play” – but was manipulated to appear like he was refering to the #EndSARS protests.
He said, despite clarification from the media outlet that the video was manipulated, “Those who wanted to, believed the television station. A large number chose not to and bombarded my phone lines with curses, expletives, and messages from the pit of hell. Well, if anybody chooses to belong to that nether region, it’s a matter of choice.”
‘Flurry Of Hateful Calls’
The presidential aide explained that he kept mum, even though, after his number was posted online by a “hateful mind”, he was bombarded with calls until his phone batteries went dead.
“Talking of bombardment of my phone lines, it had begun on Sunday. A hateful mind had published my two numbers on Twitter, urging people to troll me,” he added.
“They called till the phone batteries went dead. Mum was the word from me. “He was reviled, but responded not,” that is what the Good Book said of my master, the one I try to pattern my life after.
“So, I said not a word to any of the callers. The flurry of hateful calls was petering out on Wednesday when the doctored video was launched. All hell broke loose again.”
‘Enemy of the People’
Adesina equally claimed that many Nigerians demonize anyone in government and try to bring them down, labelling such people as “evil hearts.”
“The heart of man is evil and desperately wicked. If you are in any form of elevated position, they would love to see you fall,” Adesina noted. “Man is in a fallen state, and the more they see you bite the dust, the happier they are.”
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According to him, bagging an appointment to serve in a public position in Nigeria instantly makes people tag an individual as an “enemy of the people,” not minding the sacrifices the person made to take up that position.
“They never care what you were, and where you were coming from,” the spokesman lamented.
“Whether you came down several notches in your income in order to serve your country does not matter to them. Did you lobby for the job or not, it does not matter. The moment you get appointed into a government position, you are poised to become an enemy of the people.”
Protesters Not Backing Down
The #EndSARS protest – an agitation calling for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and reformation of the police – has not abated despite the dissolution of the force unit.
Nigeria’s police authorities had announced a new unit – the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) squad – to replace the disbanded SARS.
But the protesters are not backing down with their agitations – which is now in its 10th day – insisting on the implementation of their demands.
