Nigerians lucky Tinubu is tolerant of criticism - Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said Nigerians must count themselves lucky to have a leader like President Bola Tinubu, whom he described as tolerant of criticisms.Wike said it is only in Nigeria that a citizen would go on social media to describe the President as a “criminal”, expecting no consequences.The minister, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday during the flag-off of the Arterial Road N1 in Wuye, was alluding to a recent social media post by activist and ex-presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, who described Tinubu as a “criminal”.Citing a video where President Tinubu, during his visit to Brazil, said he had eradicated corruption from Nigeria, Sowore had tweeted: “This criminal @officialpbat actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”Commenting on Thursday, Wike said even in America, where citizens freely criticise President Donald Trump, no one would go as far as describing him as a criminal.“This is a country where somebody on social media will say Mr President is a criminal; nothing will happen,” Wike said. “You say all kinds of things you want to say, nothing will happen.”“No matter how you see people criticise Trump, have you ever seen any American citizen on social media, or in public, say ‘Our President is a criminal?’ Have you heard that?“But here, anybody can wake up in the morning and abuse the President, and we are happy. You are lucky you have a President who believes in the rule of law. You are lucky. Continue to be lucky. There are those you will meet that you won’t be lucky again,” Wike said.Wike also dismissed rumours circulating on social media that he had suffered a heart attack and was flown abroad for treatment.“I hear they have (a) heart attack. God will continue to help them to have (a) heart attack.“It is my prayer that I will sign their condolences. It’s my prayer that very soon I will write a letter that we are sorry we loved him, but take heart because it’s God that gives and God that has taken.”Earlier, Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, had mocked Sowore over the rumour, posting a video of Wike at the project inspection and writing: “FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Flagging Off the Construction of Arterial Road N1 From Wuye District to Ring Road II, Abuja, today.“We didn’t see Online Medical Doctor Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Desert Medical Centre.”

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