President’s absence: Nigerians @ FB demand video clips

Worried by the over 50 days absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) stakeholders and internet enthusiasts have taken their concern to the largest social networking site in the world, the FaceBook (FB), demanding for a video clips if only to confirm his health status.

ITRealms Online recalls that President Yar’Adua purportedly travelled out of the country to Saudi Arabia on what his officials later told Nigerians was on a trip for usual medical check-up.

These concerned Nigerians who started this campaign with a mere Short Messaging Service (SMS) to who cares are soliciting to know from the government and its officials the where about of Mr. President.

While those carrying out the campaign on the where about of President Yar’Adua, soars, they were in unision in demanding video clips of the President alive, with the number of fans for the clamour increasing by the hour.

For the SMS’ making a round they earnestly asked where exactly is President Yar’Adua, just as they enjoined other well meaning Nigerians to inquire on the whereabouts.

Part of the SMS making a round read: “Where exactly is President Yar’Adua? Join in asking. Demand to know! Send to at least 10 pple.”

Whereas this SMS has continued to make more Nigerians really began to ask questions about the president and more affirmed they have received this kind of SMS twice.

Already, there are majorly four groups carrying out this campaign in the popular FaceBook, namely Where is Yar’Adua? Where is President Musa Yar’Adua?; 150m people who want to know where Yar’Adua is?; ‘Where is Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’ and Where is the President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’Adua?

At present, the membership of groups have soared to 260, 26, 53 with common interest across their membership and 10 fans in the Where is Umaru Musa Yar’Adua with interest as non-profit, while the group ‘Where is the President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’Adua?’ has recorded 151 followers with common interest largely drawn from the government officials.

The most worrisome point raised among the FaceBook fans was the fact that President Yar’Adua left for the check-up without formally handing over powers to his Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

This, they agreed is unhealthy because, what happens in the case of any external aggression against Nigeria, who should give orders for the military, for instance, to come in defense of the nation, given that the ‘Commander in Chief’ has taken a French leave.

As much as all Nigerians across the various fan groups wished Mr. President well, they also want him to return to the country alive to carry on with his job, though they were emphatic that it was a gross error for him to have travelled out without formal handover note to enable VP Jonathan to act, rather than stagnating the nation.

According to the group ‘Where is the President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’Adua?’ its motive is to draw the attention of the world to the plight of Nigerians, since the President of over 140 million people had reportedly gone missing.

“We were told that he went to Saudi Arabia for a checkup more than a month ago ...! And tasked Nigerians to join in asking for the whereabouts of Mr. President, they therefore declared Umaru Musa Yar’Adua missing,” the group asked.

They also argued that the nation cannot be sick or in comatose simply because Mr. President is sick, therefore, they canvassed for the best of information to really show Nigerians that their president is alive apart from the politicization of the office of the Vice President from taking over or even in acting capacity, while the ruling party looks the other way.

Mr. Ojuks Amadi expressed the belief the office of the vice president was created for a situation like this, and lamented the trend the politicking of the issue has taken.

“I strongly believe the office of the vice president was created for unpredictable times like what we have now. It worries me that we Nigerians politicize everything even when it´s detrimental to our national interest and security,” he stated in his FB’s wall.

For Ms Ulo Ume, at this point even a doctored video evidence could be desirable, stressing that it would, at least, show effort on the part of his whereabouts or on even his ‘abductors’.

“Effort to accord us with an explanation, effort that may begin to signify that the retards do realize that silence is unacceptable. Also give us a new basis and impetus for further developments and discussions,” she argued.


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