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The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, on Saturday criticised the presidency over what he described as repeated administrative blunders and a lack of competence in governance.
Shaibu reacted to the brief announcement and subsequent withdrawal of Usman Dakingari’s appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Turkey.
Posting on X, Shaibu said Dakingari was announced as an ambassador, only for the presidency to retract the announcement minutes later without any official explanation.
He described the incident as the 11th public reversal by the current administration, arguing that such actions create confusion, uncertainty and show disrespect for public institutions.
Shaibu accused the presidency of being preoccupied with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, rather than focusing on effective governance.
“A government that cannot keep track of its own announcements cannot be trusted to run a country,” Shaibu said, adding that governance should not be treated like a social media message that can be deleted without accountability.
He further criticised what he called a pattern of carelessness in official appointments, recalling past incidents in which deceased individuals were reportedly announced for positions, while living appointees were embarrassed by sudden reversals.
Shaibu urged the presidency to uphold higher standards, stressing that serious governments verify decisions before making them public and provide clear explanations when errors occur.
He said: “They’ve appointed the dead before. Now they appointed Dakingari an ambassador and withdrew it before lunch time at ‘Iya Oyo’ without explanation.
“Usman Dakingari was announced as Turkey ambassador. Minutes later: no appointment ever happened.
“This is the 11th public reversal by this administration. Eleven times of confusion, uncertainty, and institutional disrespect
“While Nigerians battle hardship, the presidency is obsessed with @atiku and @PeterObi instead of basic competence.
“A government that can’t track its own announcements can’t run a country.
“@aonanuga1956 governance is not a WhatsApp broadcast that can simply be deleted. Serious governments explain themselves.
“Serious governments double-check before announcing appointments. Serious governments do not wake up to appoint the dead, embarrass living appointees, and then pretend nothing happened.”
