“You Are A Joke Mr Man” “How much were you paid” “Recession don hit our brain” News Agency Of Nigeria Boss, Bayo Onanuga Hammered For Assertions Economic Hardship Mere Propaganda

A report available has it

The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Bayo Onanuga, was on Tuesday attacked over his comments on social media network, Facebook, that he has a feeling that the hardship in Nigeria was largely propaganda by opponents of the government.

Writing on his Facebook wall on Tuesday evening, Onanuga said facts he gathered through his daughter on a flight to London and his own experiences in Bauchi, Bauchi State and Jos, Plateau State showed that the situation in Nigeria is not as bad as being painted.
He said it could just be to propagate the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in bad light.

However, the reactions from his followers were not palatable.

Even a post at about midnight attempting to clarify his position was not better received.
Onanuga’s first post:

My daughter was on the Virgin Atlantic Flight that took off from Lagos to London today. I asked her to find out whether the plane was filled up or going to London near empty judging by the noisy campaign from a section of the country about the ‘hardship’ in our country.

My daughter sent back this one-line text, after boarding: “daddy, the flight was filled up o”.

This makes me to wonder whether all the seeming orchestrated campaign in the media was not mere propaganda to make the Buhari regime look really bad.

I was in Bauchi and Jos at the weekend, I also found that food was cheap everywhere. In our hotel, we paid about N700 for a plate of semovita, or eba with a choice of cat fish or chicken. On the roadside, I found to my surprise that with just N1000, I bought over 50 oranges, two giant water melon and 10 pieces of sweet potato. I had experienced a similar thing in the market at Abuja, where I found that with N1,400, I could make a big vegetable soup, with tomato, pepper and roasted Titus fish.
Are the media and bloggers really painting a correct image of our country. It’s time for the media to objectively conduct a reality check about our reports, whether we are not over sensationalising so-called hardship that we talked about.

A few of the reactions that trailed the post:

Collins Jackson Victoria: You are just a joke Mr man… Thanks for letting us know your daughter was on virgin Atlantic Flight… Who asked you? If you feel you have enough don’t come to social media blabbing or indirectly mocking other Nigerians who are finding it hard to make ends meet in this present condition.. I wonder why a man at your age that should be matured will sound so dumb.. You’ve gotten the cheap attention you wanted, now you can go and sit your fake ass down.. Retard people will just come out and blab any how… These are the kind of people I have no respect for even if you are 100 years old… Now I understand when they say age is not maturity… I would have sworn its a kid who is still wearing pampers that typed this rubbish.. If you are rich and you can afford all those things you call cheap keep it to yourself and stop blabbing so you can trend on social media… I get you name is stale and forgotten… So you needed to type this rubbish to rekindle your foolishness… If you feel you are influential use your position to talk to the government and stop mocking Nigerians with your dumb analysis.. I was thinking only youths that post attention seeking post on social media… I don’t know old fools, money miss road people like you will do the same.. Take chill pill joor.. Since the economy no affect you.. Face your business and stop trying to justify the situation of the country mofo…. Let nobody come here to tell me rubbish… He asked for what he is getting.

Zubby Emodi: Stupidity has eaten your remaining sense!!!

Tobi Fakayode: Lol Mohammed Bala Aliyu must be a dream. Meanwhile, there’s no need to be abusive. Bayo onanuga is definitely not in the same Nigeria that has had 4 economy induced suicides in the last 2 weeks!

Vik Viktor: Et tu Bayo Onanuga? How much were you paid? When has your conscience disappeared? I remembered those old days you were of sound mind.

Chioma Okeke: So I can get all these with just #2400? Oya send me your account number and it better be as you have said if not.

Akiko Mike: mtsheww. I for say someone has been buying and eating in his dreams lol.

In a bid to clarify his earlier post, Onanuga wrote shorty before midnight:

I need to make myself crystal clear to all those who have responded, some with vulgar abuse, some with disparaging remarks, to my statement on Facebook on the situation in my country.

First is that many people demonstrated in their reactions that they did not understand what I wrote. They simply read my statement upside down or ill-digested it. Several points I raised were mere hypotheses, mere suppositions, not conclusions. I asked: is it true? Have we been exaggerating our economic conditions? Can the media conduct some reality check?

In saying so, I remember a photograph of kwashiorkored kids published recently by one of our respected newspapers to illustrate ‘the hardship’ in the land. Of course, the photograph does not reflect any true reality about Nigeria, it was lifted from a foreign publication.

I thank all those who responded by countering my hypothesis with their own propositions about our condition.

I agree we all live in different parts of the country and I fully accept we see things in different light.

Second, no where in my statement did I suggest that our country is not going through a difficult time and that our people are not going through some hardship. The President himself has admitted this on several occasions.

As the economic crisis rages on, everyone has been affected one way or the other, including those in government at all levels. Even Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has had his wealth vastly reduced by the economic crisis.
As Nigerians we need to understand very quickly that we are going through the worst economic crisis in our history.
Wailing, apportioning blames are not, in my view, the appropriate reactions to the crisis. We need to begin to change the way we live. If you are used to consuming imported things such as Thailand Rice, American Long Grain rice, the times dictate we jettison the idea and go for local Abakaliki or Okada rice. If you like foreign dresses, it’s time to switch to the locally made fabrics. If you have a vehicle that guzzles petrol, it’s time to switch to fuel efficient ones.

And the latter reminds me of the American reaction when crude was trading at $140 a few years ago. Many Americans dumped their SUVs. Many of the rejected vehicles were shipped to Nigeria. Now that petrol price is high in our country, as a result of the Avengers crisis and the unfavourable forex regime, is it not time also we copied the Americans, dumped the SUVs and jumped on public transport or shared transport?

My takeaway from my experience today is that Nigerians seldom read critically any post. We read superficially and make comments, most often trivialising serious issues.

And finally, I have spent the past 36 years post-graduation defending the cause of the Nigerian people. Contrary to some opinions, my view is not influenced by my official position. Those who peddle such lies do not know me. I pray God to forgive them.
But that also did not get any positive comment.
A few of the comments:
Hugo Odiogor: Being clever by half. Forgive us our trespasses. Recession don hit our brain. We know no book again. Sir.
Ayegbusi Olabisi Beckett: English lon damu yin Sir!!! Seems you don’t really know how to express yourself in English.
Joshua Ajimalufin: U refused to sympathize with the suffering masses but told them that the plane was full o. U are only few metres to another umaru dikko. Simple.
Oladimeji Omo Balogun: Had it been people can b punched on Facebook, the following would have been th exact reaction you’ll get from Nigerians

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