The internet is swift in its dispensation of justice. Even without the facts, you can almost always count on a stream of righteous indignation following certain events.
In Nigeria, President Buhari’s comments in an interview granted to The Telegraph isn’t winning the President any hearts.
“Some Nigerians claim is that life is too difficult back home, but they have also made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking,” he told The Telegraph.
“We have an image problem abroad and we are on our way to salvage that,” he added.
A backlash of epic proportions have followed his comments, with many disagreeing with the President tagging Nigerians criminals.
Predictably, Senator Ben Murray Bruce led the movement, undoubtedly angered more by the headline than any real perusal of the contents of the article.
In other quarters, some argue that the President should have applied more diplomacy and tact in his phrasing.
As with most instances of collective anger, common sense is the first victim. In admitting Nigeria’s image problem, the President simply admitted to the obvious.
Every other week, a Nigerian is arrested for drug trafficking outside the shores of our country.
When did acknowledging a problem become a punishable offence?