His name is Bola, and that’s not Nigeria’s problem

Dear Femi Fani-Kayode,

Your lengthy turenchi — almost as long as Jagaban’s failings — because Atiku Abubakar called President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by his first name misses the point.

His name is Bola. And that is not Nigeria’s problem.

In a country battling hardship, insecurity and prohibitive food, transport and energy costs, the emergency that concerns you is that Atiku called Bola, Bola.

Nigeria is a republic, not a monarchy. The President is an elected public servant, not an emperor before whom opponents must genuflect. “President” is an office, not a compulsory prefix shielding its occupant from criticism.

Atiku committed no crime or constitutional violation by calling Bola Tinubu “Bola”. You may consider it discourteous. That is your opinion, not an offence.

But there is a bigger problem with your sermon: the moral contradiction of the preacher.

You lecture Atiku about “decency”, “decorum” and “restraint”, yet your essay calls people “pit bull terriers”, “hungry wolves”, “fallen angels” and sufferers of “pathological obsession”.

You are also the same Femi Fani-Kayode who publicly berated a Daily Trust journalist for asking a legitimate question, called him “stupid”, threatened him and reportedly declared, “I have marked you.”

Your writings about the Igbo have repeatedly attracted accusations of ethnic stereotyping and inflammatory rhetoric.

And since you have turned political disagreement into a sermon on personal morality, your own public baggage becomes relevant. Your estranged wife publicly accused you of domestic abuse. Someone carrying such contested baggage should understand the wisdom of restraint before mounting the pulpit to judge another man’s character.

Femi, physician, heal thyself.

Your excursion into the Obasanjo years proves little. Political disagreement is not treason. Atiku was Vice President, not Obasanjo’s domestic servant. Indeed, Atiku’s court victories from that era helped deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.

On the claim that Obasanjo knelt before Atiku, Atiku has denied it, while others have offered a different account. It remains disputed history. You may choose your version, but you cannot manufacture certainty.

On Goodluck Jonathan, Atiku offered a political assessment of his preparedness for office. You may disagree. Criticism is not disrespect.

As for Rotimi Amaechi, political rivals can later become allies. That is coalition building. You should understand this better than most: you are today in the APC supporting a man you once vowed never to support. You are an Ambassador-designate of all that is obnoxious about the Tinubu administration.

The Deborah Samuel tragedy deserves more seriousness than partisan point-scoring. Atiku explained that the deleted post was published without his approval. I, as his Media Adviser, can confirm that no approval was obtained before its deployment. He subsequently condemned the killing and stated clearly that Islam provides no justification for taking another person’s life outside due process.

But all these diversions expose the weakness of your essay: you barely answered what Atiku actually said on October 1. And he said quite a lot.

Has food become cheaper under Bola? Petrol more affordable? Electricity cheaper or more reliable? Are Nigerians safer? Are incomes stronger? Are businesses thriving? Is the average Nigerian better off?

Those are the questions that matter.

It is easier to debate “Bola” versus “Mr President” than to defend what Bola’s policies have done to Nigerians.

In 2027, Nigerians will vote on food, petrol, electricity, jobs, insecurity, the naira and their quality of life — not forms of address.

Femi can keep counting how many times Atiku said “Bola”. Nigerians are counting the cost of surviving under Bola.

Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku Abubakar, writes from Abuja.