Opinions
Of Vice President: A misconstrue Of Shettima’s Opinion On The Current Issues In NA Politics
Of Vice President: A misconstrue Of Shettima’s Opinion On The Current Issues In NA Politics
By: James Bwala
When the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, speaks, it takes analytical minds to understand his points. I therefore am not surprised at the bashing of the Vice President over the statement credited to him while expressing his opinion on the current happenings in the National Assembly, especially the issues in the Senate, where he spoke on the choice being made of the Senate President.
Kashim Shettima’s opinion on the Tinubu Presidency during the campaign period, when he said that leadership is not about carrying a bag of cement, was likewise misconstrued. Until recently, with the appointment of the Chief of Staff to the President, the deputy Chief of Staff, and the Secretary to the Government of Federation, many people I know who criticized the President at that time were coming to terms with the statement credited to Shettima and agreed with him that leadership is all about the experience of an individual rather than the physical strength of the leader.
I believe many who are now criticizing the Vice President over the comments, or rather, his opinion and the usage of English to relate his argument, will soon come to terms with the VP over his statement. Nigerians are truly proud of their religion, regions, and tribes. Whenever issues regarding these areas are touched, people first react with emotions before thinking it true or before agreeing with any speakers who might have expressed their opinion. This was the case, with many reactions flying across, and I did not blame them. English is a very difficult language, and those who play around with English words are often misunderstood by the larger community given their limitations in the usage of words as tools in communication.
Kashim Shettima is the Vice President of Nigeria today. He understands where he is coming from and would never disparage the north or any part of the country, as some mischief-makers would want the community of people or some section of the country to believe. We all know that the north is very strict with moral issues, and as such, the use of the word “dynamite” should not ignite the dynamite as they would want it to happen.
I have been reading many comments on Facebook and other social media platforms to understand why some Nigerians are raising their voices over the statement credited to VP Kashim Shettima. I have discussed privately with some of them who are making those comments, and what I discovered was a lack of understanding of the word the VP uses. I had to ask someone to find out the meaning of the word ‘Puritanical’ for himself and associate it with the true character of the people in the north. In the end, contrary to his earlier submission, he was rather ashamed of himself as an educated personality.
It is a pity that many Nigerians conclude faster before they think it through. However, I see that as a mistake of the past leadership, where education was not taken seriously in the country and we produced half-baked graduates who needed to get some explanations before they realized that they had made a mistake. Also, there is a need for us to begin to learn how important it is to put emotions aside in our understanding of people’s opinions over issues.
Of Vice President: A misconstrue Of Shettima’s Opinion On The Current Issues In NA Politics