Presidency steps up attack on Ezekwesili in “wicked stepmother” parable

The Presidency took the Nigerian government’s attack on Oby Ezekwesili a notch higher, Sunday, after it suggested that the former World Bank Vice President was only behaving as a “wicked stepmother.”

Mrs. Ezekwesili had, at the 42nd convocation of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, last week, accused President Goodluck Jonathan, and his predecessor, Umar Yar’Adua, of “squandering” over N10 trillion of oil wealth.

Although, Reno Omokri, Special Assistant to Mr. Jonathan on Social Media,  did not mention Mrs Ezekwesili’s name,  his series of tweets left no one in doubt of who they were directed at.

“A major problem in Nigeria is that egged on by bitter ex-officials who lost out in power, youths mistake cynicism for intelligence/wisdom,” Mr. Omokri said in a tweet.

Minutes later, a second tweet stated how patriots should not wait to be out of power before speaking the truth.

Mr. Omokri’s tweets came a few hours after Labaran Maku, the Information Minister, called a press conference in which he denounced Mrs. Ezekwesili’s “surprisingly limited understanding of government finances.”

The president’s aide and Reuben Abati, another presidential spokesperson, have become infamous on social media for name calling; the latter branding a twitter follower “an idiot” few weeks ago.

Mr. Omokri continued along the same line Sunday.

“Youths think! A wicked step mother who’s been displaced by a new wife does not lose her wickedness because she offers you sweets,” he tweeted, in apparent reference to Mrs. Ezekwesili.

“When the wicked step mother displaced by a new wife settles with the husband of the house the step kids soon find out she was never a friend,” he added.

His tweets are storified below.