Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi and Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Ben Bruce, on Sunday, engaged in a dramatic fight on the micro blogging site, Twitter, over the activities of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amaechi-Bruce Drama started when Senator Bruce took to his Twitter handle, @benmurraybruce to condemn statements credited to President Buhari in an interview with the UK Telegraph, where he (President Buhari) warned Nigerians to stop trying to make asylum claims in Britain, saying that their reputation for criminality has made it hard for them to be “accepted” abroad.
Bruce who was irked by the President’s statement, took to his Twitter handle saying: “Mr. President, you once believed we weren’t criminals. When did you change your mind?#IAmANigerianNotACriminal.”
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He was citing a June 9, 2008 publication in one of Nigeria’s national dailies, where President Buhari was quoted then to have said that the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, did not loot the national treasury contrary to the general impression.
Bruce said: “President @MBuhari, Nigerians are not criminals. Nigerians are honest hardworking people. Bernie Madoff stole $50 Billion, the largest theft in the world. That doesn’t make all Americans thieves! Don’t generalize because of a few!
“Mr. Foreign investor, please come invest in my country. Oh and by the way, my people have a reputation for crime #IamANigerianNotACriminal. “Many don’t know the import of that statement. It’ll negatively affect your ability to get jobs and opportunities abroad #IamANigerianNotACriminal.”
However, the Senator got engaged by Amaechi when he tweeted, “Your own minister spent ₦80 million on a one day dinner, yet it is your citizens you accuse of being criminals. #IamANigerianNotACriminal.”
Amaechi fires back Irked by Bruce’s tweet, Amaechi took to his Twitter handle, @ChibuikeAmaechi saying, Bruce is very active on Twitter but passive on the floor of the Senate chambers where he was elected to represent the people of Bayelsa East Senatorial District.
Amaechi said: “I will not respond to innuendos. Be courageous, name the minister. We know you talk here and do ‘siddon’ look where you are elected to talk. “A coward who is not bold enough to name the minister that he alleged criminally spent N80m on dinner is unfit to sit in our senate chambers.”
In his response, Bruce tweeted that “When you have been Wike’d, you become wicked! But you will always be my beloved brother, no matter how much you transfer the anger on me.”
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