Atiku-Frustration and Anger

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has cried out that his social media engagement - with young people - has been marred by barrage of criticisms.

In a Facebook post, he said he had been made an object of aggresson; but added that the criticisms were "understandable" due to the "quagmire of challenges'' facing the country".  

Atiku argued that his social media followers made up of university students, for instance, have a reason to direct their anger and frustration at him because it's difficult for them to have hope in the country after having been forced to sit at home for months - for no fault of theirs.

He said, "When you're a university student forced to sit at home for months, due to no fault of yours, I realise that it is difficult to understand why you should have any hope in your country. What you want to do is lash out at a system that keeps conspiring to let you down. That is understandable.

"Understandably, there are a lot of complaining voices. And I'm speaking from experience, as a former political office holder now active on Facebook and Twitter, and often the object of a lot of anger and frustration."

Atiku who enjoined his online followers never to allow their "frustrations to blind" them, explained that he had been working round the clock to "generate and highlight solutions to the pressing problems" bedeviling the nation.

However, Atiku's sermons did not placate the anger of many of his online followers, as they further disagreed with him on his discourse on national issues and gave him more knocks.

Many of those who commented on his Facebook page said they didn't understand that Atiku, who served as Vice-President for eight years, with little impact, could turn around and become a "saint overnight."

They accused the Turaki Adamawa of merely seeking public sympathy through his social media engagement. "It's only in Nigeria that past political leaders turn around and become saints overnight. Sir, let me correct this impression of yours: we know vividly that you are part of our problem. What was your antecedent while in power?" Aderinboye George wrote.