I had dedicated Saturday, October 21, to two important events: attending to family duties and participating in a farewell funeral party in Abeokuta in honour of a doughty elderly woman whose paths and mine crossed for many seasons. She was the mother of a childhood friend, who became the mother of many others because she was a dependable ally in every battle.
But my day was constantly disrupted and my attention distracted by reports from known and unknown persons about a certain commentary that was purportedly going viral on social media, authored by one Reuben Abati, and affirmatively titled “Still on Okorocha and Zuma’s Statue: Reuben Abati’s epic reply to Rochas Okorocha”.
One fellow wanted to know if I authored the piece, others followed suit, and later close friends started bombarding me with enquiries. I promptly disclaimed the piece.
On Tuesday, October 17, I had written an article titled “Okorocha and Jacob Zuma’s statue”. It appeared in my column in ThisDay newspaper – Tuesday with Reuben Abati – and was also widely syndicated across the Nigerian media space. That essay remains the only commentary I have written so far on the public relations crisis that has emerged around Governor Rochas Okorocha’s decision to erect a statue in honour of one of Africa’s most disreputable contemporary leaders. ❤ ❤ 2348050417551 available for a good time ... spill TEA.... Easy on Shade #jaiyeorie