Spokesman for the president, Mr. Garba Shehu and former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan on new media, Mr. Reno Omokri have engaged each other on social media exchange over Shehu’s claim that his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, deserves accolades for tackling insecurity in the country.
Also at issue is the fate of Leah Sharibu who has remained in Boko Haram captivity since February 19, 2018.
Recall that Leah Sharibu was kidnapped along with girls from Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State. She was held back while others were freed reportedly due to her refusal to renounce her Christian faith.
Shehu had last weekend while presenting a paper, entitled: “Fake news: Challenges of information management,” at the 10th year anniversary of the Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), in Katsina State declared that Buhari deserves credit for his efforts to tackle insecurity in the country.
“It is a fact that the Buhari administration is the only government of Nigeria that has put forward a workable solution to the herder-farmer challenge in all the years since independence.
“The threat to civilians and peaceful co-existence between different ethnic and religious groups from farmer-herders clashes, banditry and land disputes are of serious concern to the Buhari government.
“It is incorrect, however, to assert that the government has or is doing nothing to address the threats.
“Firstly, there are ongoing efforts for the establishment of cattle ranches to prevent or curtail open grazing, the practice that brings herders and farmers into conflict.
“This is an age-old problem facing Nigerian governments since the colonial days. However, matters of land distribution are dealt with at state level,” he said, among other things.
But Omokri, in his response challenged Shehu to spend a weekend without security details in Bama, Borno State and he (Omokri) will pay him (Shehu) $50,000.
In a tweet on his verified Twitter handle, @renoomkri, Omokri wrote: “Yesterday, Garba Shehu renewed his claim that ‘Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity”. I renew my challenge to Garba. Spend a weekend alone, without security, in Bama. I will pay him $50.000”
It was followed with a hashtag, #GarbaShehuSecurityChallenge.
But in a counter-response in his Facebook account, Shehu alleged that someone was using money made from Leah Sharibu’s sad ordeal, saying that he does not need “blood money.”
“My message to anyone who made money using Leah Sharibu’s sad ordeal, and they are flaunting it remains unchanged: This is blood money. I don’t need any of it. Period,” he said.
Not to be undone, Omokri, on a Facebook account that he operates, “Build Up Nigeria, replied Shehu on the comments section of Shehu’s post, saying:
“Dear Garba Shehu,
“If you have evidence that I have made money from Leah Sharibu’s ordeal, please expose it. You have access to the media. Alternatively, if any individual, church, foundation, government or country has given me even one kobo for Leah, please speak now, or forever remain silent.
“Leah Sharibu’s father, Nathan, did a video denouncing your false allegation the last time you made this allegation last year. Rather than make money from Leah, I wrote a book about her, which inspired a BBC Documentary, and got the attention of the US government, and I donated all the proceeds to her parents, plus £4000.
“I received an award in Hollywood for my altruistic sacrifice on behalf of Leah.
“Having said that, the issue is not Leah Sharibu. The issue is that you said, and I quote “Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity”. If you really believe that, Garba, then I challenge you to go to Bama in Borno, for a weekend, alone, without security. And I will pay you $50,000.
“But if even you believe my money is ‘blood money’, then do it because you believe “Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity”.
Garba, you and I used to write anti Buhari material between 2003-2005 when you were HE Atiku Abubakar’s spokesman under a official Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Nigeria Government.
“Today, you are praising the man you once denounced,” he said.
