Femi Fani Kayode, a former Nigerian aviation minister, has strongly criticized George Galloway, a former member of the UK Parliament, for his comments about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Galloway had recently suggested that Tinubu’s past should be examined, claiming he was unaware that Nigeria’s president was an alleged drug dealer in the United States.
He also questioned the legitimacy of Tinubu’s election to power.
Fani-Kayode responded to Galloway’s comments on Tuesday, characterizing him as a “sanctimonious, self-seeking, self-serving, self-righteous, self-obsessed, and narcissistic” figure who disrespects Nigeria and its leaders. He stressed that his words reflected his personal views and asked Galloway not to provoke unnecessary conflict.
While Fani-Kayode acknowledged his capacity to withstand criticism from Nigerians, he emphasized that such remarks from foreign leaders were unacceptable.
He expressed his frustration with the negative stereotyping of Nigerian leaders as corrupt, fraudulent, and drug dealers, especially when it comes from Western sources.
Fani-Kayode suggested that Galloway should introspectively evaluate Western leaders before criticizing Nigerian ones. He pointed out figures like George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, David Cameron, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Boris Johnson, accusing them of orchestrating illegal wars and proxy conflicts, leading to the death of millions of innocent people and the destruction of their nations.
Fani-Kayode also accused these Western leaders of exploiting third-world countries’ civilian populations, imposing puppet leaders, and pillaging their resources.
He cautioned Galloway to be mindful of his words, as Nigerians tend to respond assertively to unwarranted criticism.