by Kolapo Olapoju

Are you not entertained?

Never in the history of Nigeria’s electioneering period has there been so much vitriol and heated verbal exchanges, as is obtainable nowadays.

Back to regular business – Governor Babatunde Fashola has defended his claim that President Jonathan is responsible for the success of the Lekki Robbery incident on March 12.

Fashola’s explanation was in response to Reuben Abati’s statement where he called the governor unintelligent for making the accusation.

However, in the attempt of stating his defence, Fashola landed Abati heavy blows.

We capture them in 5 quotes:

1. “It is obvious he is ignorant of the traffic and security menace, his principal constitutes whenever he visits any part of the country. It should also interest the ‘Vuvuzuela’ of President Jonathan that during these visits, which most of the times are for campaign hustles, the entire Police and other security network are put on high alert to pay attention to the presidential visits leaving the citizens vulnerable to the reckless gallivanting of the visitor.”

2. “Abati must be sleeping or indulging in his usual pastimes not to understand ‘route lining’ where every available policeman on duty is deployed to man routes where the President would pass through. It is not the statement of the Governor that is unintelligent, the unintelligent thing here is the inability of the President to weigh public interest above personal ambition.”

3. “The unintelligent thing here is not to know the importance of the Police as an institution that deserves adequate funding to carry out its function of protecting life and property. The unintelligent thing is the Federal Government dodging its constitutional responsibility of which the Police is one of them. Governor Fashola is a very responsible Governor who put the people first ahead of himself, and this he has demonstrated over the years. He made reference to the dead policemen because he feels responsible to them. At the event, he prayed for the repose of their souls and enjoined the audience to stand with him in a one minute-silence over the fallen heroes whom he concluded died in the cause of serving their country.”

4. “Abati could not comprehend why Governor Fashola would be shocked at the death of three policemen; we have not had such an experience in the past two years here in Lagos where policemen are killed by armed robbers. This is a different situation where it took the death of almost 20,000 citizens before someone started to take action. When the ocean surge was going to wipe out a whole community within the Lekki area, Fashola was there.”

5. “So, this vuvuzuela should be courteous in his choice of words. We are, however, not surprised. Abatti is a serial reckless talker that likes listening to himself, and only thinks after talking. Latter converts like him acts up to become more Catholic than the Pope because of the fear to the past after the allure of office. His recent unguarded statement about General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) is still very fresh. If the retired General had not been a statesman, only God knows where Abati would be by now. It’s time someone close to this garrulous man tells him to start measuring his utterances.”