The Presidency on Tuesday clashed with some
critics on the Nigerian social media space over an
alleged snubbing of President Goodluck Jonathan
at the funeral service held in honour of the late
anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela.
The President, who attended the memorial service
in company with the Supervising Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, on Tuesday at
the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg was not given a
role to deliver a tribute in Mandela’s honour at the
event.
Although Jonathan is not the only President who
did not do so, Namibian President Hifikepunye
Pohamba was given the opportunity as he joined
President US Barack Obama and the United
Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, among
the other speakers honouring the former South
African President.
The development sparked anger on social media as
many Nigerians expressed dissatisfaction over the
development, saying the country was fast losing its
pride of place in the international community.
According to them, since the country played an
important part in the struggle against the apartheid
regime in South Africa, it was expected that
Nigeria takes its “rightful’’ place in the build up to
the events leading up to the burial of Mandela, by
giving Jonathan the opportunity of a speaking slot
to pay tributes.
The ranks of Nigerians who are still sore at a bill on
the floor of the Senate seeking to convict social
media critics in the country blamed the
development on Jonathan’s leadership style even
as the Presidency hurriedly took to Twitter to
counter the claims.
Those who argued that Nigeria should have been
given a speaking role said since it paid a huge
price for what South Africa is today, recalled a
year Nigeria did not participate in the
Commonwealth Games because of her
commitment towards ending apartheid in South
Africa.
Political blogger, Japheth Omojuwa, in a Twitter
post described the situation as a “no show” for
Nigeria as well as a “relegation” in foreign affairs.
“Yes Goodluck Jonathan was snubbed, but the
snub was not as much about his being Jonathan
as it was about where he comes from. Don’t hang
President Jonathan for Nigeria’s “no-show” at
Madiba’s funeral. It’s a Nigerian problem and it
goes deeper than 2010-2013.
“We cry too much about our relegation in South
Africa, we should save those tears. Let’s be glad
we have a great President in Jonathan. Sometimes
we miss it. There is nothing to write home about
when it comes to our President but he is 1/160
million of our problems. When OBJ (former
President Olusegun Obasanjo) grows to be 120
years old and dies, let us pay back by making sure
SA’s President doesn’t speak at his funeral. If s/he
comes,” Omojuwa argued.
Gbenga Olorunpomi heaped the blame of the
alleged snub on Jonathan, saying Nigeria deserves
the way it was treated at the event, noting that the
Nigerian electorate have a lesson to learn from it.
Olorunpomi’s tweets read, “You can’t cover
yourself with poo and then complain about not
being invited to the party. Instead of us to be sober
at this snub at Mandela’s memorial, we are getting
all defensive.
“There is a lesson here, people. Learn it! The
leaders of the world have placed our President on
a scale and he’s fallen terribly short. South Africa
didn’t disrespect Nigeria by denying the President
a chance to speak; Nigerians disrespected Nigeria
by voting President GEJ.”
Another Nigerian irked by the development, Ikhide,
said the situation clearly showed that the country
was fast losing its position as a frontline African
nation.
“Our leaders could have used Mandela’s death to
remind us of when we were a frontline nation. So
we may not forget, Nigeria was one of 25 African
countries that boycotted the 1976 Olympics to
protest apartheid. Oga Goodluck Jonathan and his
contingent of hangers-on should have participated
in Mandela’s memorial service via Skype. What a
waste of dollars!” Ikhide said.
Also, another Nigerian with the name Double EPH
said, “It is only the South Africans who can tell
where our contributions ranked among others. You
as a Nigerian only know what you did. We didn’t
have to support South Africa so hard but we did. If
we did it in expectation of payback, accept it has
backfired. Better luck next time.”
But the Presidency, through the Special Assistant
to Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri,
dismissed the alleged snub as the “height of
pettiness.”
He said the online critics were unduly and unfairly
politicising the funeral to achieve selfish objectives.
“It is the height of pettiness to politicise the funeral
of such a pure man. Were UK, India and China also
snubbed? In death, Mandela still inspires people to
love their enemies as demonstrated by the
handshakes between hitherto enemies,” Omokri
wrote in a Twitter post.
Also, one Adeyemi Olutoye, corroborating the
Presidency, said, “Over 90 world leaders were
present, six out of them were given the chance to
speak and because yours wasn’t among, he was
snubbed? Jonathan wasn’t snubbed. Funnily
enough, it is the same set of people who wants
GEJ to speak at Madiba’s funeral that would come
back here (Twitter) and start pointing out his faults
during the speech.”
For Bryan Chaut, Nigeria’s attendance at the
memorial was enough and the fact that Jonathan
did not speak should not be trivialised.
“As Mandela said, great leaders lead without being
seen. We don’t need to speak to prove we are the
giant of Africa, the world knows. Nigeria and other
African countries are hosting the world as our
African leader died. GEJ doesn’t need to speak,”
Chaut explained.