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| Reno Omokri & Garba Shehu, Buhari’s spokesman |
There was sharp disagreement on social media weekend between presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, and former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on new media, Reno Omokri, over claims by Shehu that President Muhammadu Buhari deserves praise for his efforts to address security challenges facing the country.
Omokri also challenged Shehu to move around Bama in Borno State without security details and get $50,000 to which Shehu replied that he didn’t need “blood money”.
Shehu had made the assertion 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.
The senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) had said: “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.
Reacting, Reno Omokri, however, disputed the claims and challenged Shehu to spend a weekend without security details in Bama, Borno state, the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency and get paid the sum of $50,000.
In a tweet on his verified twitter handle, @renoomkri, Omokri who has one million Twitter followers, said: “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”
But in a counter response on Sunday in his Facebook page, Shehu alleged that someone was using money made from Leah Sharibu’s sad ordeal, saying that he does not need “blood money.”
He said, "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."
In a swift reaction, Omokri on a Facebook page wrote: “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. And during the awards ceremony, broadcast worldwide, I also repeated this challenge to you government to provide any evidence that I have benefited from #FreeLeahSharibu. Two years later, you are still making false allegations without evidence, like your failed agent, Natasha H Akpoti.
"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.
#TableShaker #BuhariTormentor