Some Nigerians on Twitter have called for the boycott of The Economist magazine for calling former President Goodluck Jonathan an “ineffectual buffoon”.
The Economist made the disparaging remark in an article titled ‘Nigeria’s economy Crude tactics’.
The article, which ripped President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies to shreds, particularly the decision to protect Nigeria’s “dwindling hard-currency reserves by blocking imports” and pegging the official exchange rates at 197-199 to the dollar, blamed the Jonathan administration for squandering the country’s foreign reserves, which it noted, could have served as a buffer to cushion the effects of crashing oil prices.
However, the part that irked supporters and non-supporters alike of Dr. Jonathan was the part where the magazine seemingly disrespected a former president of the world’s largest black nation on earth.
“In the eight months since Mr Buhari arrived at Aso Rock, the presidential digs, the homicidal jihadists of Boko Haram have been pushed back into the bush along Nigeria’s borders”, The Economist said.
“The government has cracked down on corruption, which had flourished under the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, an ineffectual buffoon who let politicians and their cronies fill their pockets with impunity”, it added.
As expected, Nigerians showed their disapproval on Twitter: