Tinubu mustered the temerity to call the President of Nigeria a drunkard, a sinking fisherman. This was how Tinubu put it: “I think the President is wrong because that is an insult to our parents. It is a speech from a drunk sailor fisherman whose boat is about to capsize.
As Nigerian authorities begin a controversial clampdown on citizens criticizing government officials on social media, an old episode from the country’s political history has resurfaced, bringing to light the sharp rhetoric of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his time as Lagos State Governor. Tinubu mustered the temerity to call the President of Nigeria a drunkard, a sinking fisherman. This was how Tinubu put it: “I think the President is wrong because that is an insult to our parents. It is a speech from a drunk sailor fisherman whose boat is about to capsize.
Another Man Arrested for Insulting Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, As Police Begin Crack Down on Nigerians Insulting Politicians on Social Media In a flashback to 2011, Tinubu, then the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), launched a verbal assault on then-President Goodluck Jonathan, describing him as a “drunk sailor fisherman” whose “boat is about to capsize.” Tinubu’s comments came in reaction to a statement made by Jonathan at a campaign rally in Ibadan, where the President had referred to the need to rescue the Southwest from the hands of “rascals.” Tinubu, speaking at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on his way to Abuja for an ACN campaign event, called Jonathan’s remarks an insult to Yoruba parents. “You don’t come to this land, seek our votes, and then insult our parents, saying they raised rascals,” Tinubu said. “It is a speech from a drunk sailor fisherman whose boat is about to capsize.”
