A German journalist, Dominic Johnson,
has called out the Nigerian press for misleading headlines concerning
President Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to Germany.
Some Nigerian newspapers had reported
that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel had pledged €18 billion towards
the development of of the Lake Chad basin.
Johnson, who is foreign editor of German
newspaper TAZ, took to micro-blogging website, Twitter to debunk the
reports saying that Merkel only pledged €18 million and for humanitarian
purposes only.
“Here is the Lake Chad region, to which
Nigeria is one, facing major challenges in the fight against Boko Haram.
We have defined the framework of our development cooperation 47.5
million euro and the humanitarian aid to the Lake Chad region with 18
million euros,” Merkel told the press at a press conference with Buhari.
“The humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad region is alarming,”
You may view the full transcript of the press conference HERE.
The newspapers got the news from the Twitter handle of one of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s media aides, Bashir Ahmad who has since deleted the
tweet and apologized for the misleading information.
But, he still said that the money was for the Lake Chad region.
Buhari spent part of last week in Germany where he is also reportedly seeking medical attention. He departed Germany for Nigeria during the weekend.
This is not the only blight on the
president’s trip. While he was there, his wife, Aisha Buhari’s insurgent
interview with BBC was aired in which she slammed his government. She
revealed that it had been hijacked by elements who don’t share the same
values as the president.
Buhari responded to questions from journalists by saying that his wife ‘belongs to the kitchen, the living room and the other room“.
Ironically, Buhari’s remarks were made in the presence of one of the
most powerful people in the world, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a
woman.
Following the outrage that greeted the
president’s misogynic comments in Germany, his media aides attempted
damage control by saying that he believes in the role of women in nation
building and since Buhari laughed before making the comment, then it
could be believed that what he said after was a joke.
But, Buhari has doubled down on his
comments mocking his wife, Aisha Buhari contradicting his spokesperson,
Garba Shehu who dismissed his principal’s remarks to German journalists,
in which he said that his wife ‘belongs to the kitchen, the living room and the other room“.
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