Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, had on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 said that critics of President Goodluck Jonathan needed to be examined by psychiatrists.
Okupe said this in reaction to the statement by a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, where Atiku pointed at the activities of the members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, in the North-Eastern part of the country.
Atiku stated that if the activities of the insurgents were not quickly curtailed, they could destabilize the entire region.
Atiku also berated the leadership of the country, with respect what it had fashioned out to curtail the criminal activities of the members of the sect.
In the statement, Okupe said such statements were not expected from Atiku, who had been part of the system.
“Those people saying that this government is clueless need psychiatric test. From now on, anybody who says this government is clueless should be referred to a psychiatrist.
“It is obvious that people are also trying to make mileage of insurgency. On Monday, a very notable member of the Nigerian leadership institution, in particular Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, took a swipe at the Federal Government and at the President.
“You know, it’s difficult to comment publicly about people who have held very important and highly dignified position in our polity, but when people go to the extent of trying to make political gains out of national tragedy, it is difficult not to say something because this is part of the misinformation which the Nigerian public has been subjected to.
“Atiku said that we have problems with leadership, both political leadership and military leadership. For a former Vice President, I believe the comments passed by Atiku Abubakar, I don’t want to use the word ‘irresponsible’, but I will say it is a little bit out of place.
“It is not something you expect from an elder statesman, somebody who has been in the system and who understands how government works,” he stated.
Okupe, who expressed his displeasure with the statement of Atiku, said it was wrong for someone who is aspiring to lead the country to speak ill of the armed forces because he would command the same military if elected.
He stated that that it was the offensive statements from people like Atiku that emboldened the insurgents to take up arms against the state in the first place.
“I remember very well that before the 2011 elections, it was the people like Atiku Abubakar who said that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.
“That was his statement and that was what poured out some of these young people who have been brainwashed to take up armed against their state,” he said.
Dr Doyin reiterated that the government of Jonathan was doing everything possible to contain insurgency, adding that there was hardly any country not currently battling with terrorist group.
He concluded that the present government remained the best since independence in 1960.
“We have capable people who have made name running this economy; people like (Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun) Aganga; (Minster of Finance, Ngozi) Okonjo-Iweala and others and people are saying this government is clueless.
“How can these capable people be running an economy where the government is clueless. Is this possible?
“But I want to say here that Jonathan administration is the most successful since 1960,” he stated.
