EXPOSING THE 9 BIG FAT LIES OF AIT IN ‘THE REAL BUHARI’ DOCUMENTARY ON TV!
Ordinarily, we can all understand that AIT as a privately owned TV Station, is entitled to collect money to advertise or air anything it wants on its privately owned radio station. However, when it comes to public issues, news or matters affecting the destiny of our nation, it should be a criminal act for a nationally licensed TV Station to allow itself to be used shamelessly to propagate falsehood against a contestant in the Nigerian elections.
The truth is that AIT, as one of the most widely watched TV stations in Nigeria, has a serious responsibility to inform Nigeria only of FACTS, and not be complicit in any nefarious attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of unsuspecting Nigerians, who trust his station to report the news to them daily.
With this betrayal of trust by AIT, one can only thank God that there were people alive and well at the relevant periods in history to debunk the sham being recycled by AIT, and its hatchet men, for filthy lucre. I congratulate all those who have done their fact-checks, people like El Rufai, Gidado and SIrajo Mohammed, and many others like them who have gone out on a limb to put the lie to this travesty occurring in our nation by a supposedly independent TV station.
Since I have learnt NEVER to accept anything at face value in Nigeria anymore, particularly from corrupt journalists and politicians on either side, I have also taken the time to watch the much talked about 55 minute documentary on Mohammed Buhari for myself, to see what the fuss was all about. I have also done my own fact-checks on some of the points raised, and I can say without any fear of contradiction that AIT LIED MANY TIMES IN THAT 55MIN HATCHET JOB ON BUHARI, or was grossly negligent or careless about the truth, in at least 8 or 9 MAJOR ways in ‘The Real Buhari’ documentary.
As a lawyer who understand the implications of calling anyone a liar, I will give the PROOF right now about the 9 things things that documentary lied about, and then challenge the whole AIT crew, lawyers and owners, to call me out or sue me for libel if they dared.
Each of the Big Fat Lies I have identified are VERIFIABLE facts that people can check for themselves by simply going online and checking the archives, or by searching for newspapers and TV programs for the relevant period. The people at AIT should know by now, that in this internet age, anyone can access information that only few people had previously, WITH VERY LITTLE HARD-WORK,
So, here are the 9 shameful lies that AIT and its reporters who put together that show of shame called a documentary tried to impose on Nigerians:
BIG FAT LIE #1: THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED THE MAITATSINE RIOTS STARTED DURING BUHARI REGIME – A simple-fact check online will reveal that the Maitatsine riots started in 1980, and the riots in which over 3,000 people died actually occurred from 1975 -1982, many years before Buhari came to power. In fact, Maitatsine was KILLED in one of the riots in 1980 though some of his adherents still did some damage up to 1984.
Truth be told, unlike the lack luster campaign we have witnessed under Jonathan against the Boko Haram sect, the Maitatsine sect was actually CRUSHED during the Buhari regime, and its leaders scattered to Cameroon, when Buhari sent an overwhelming military force to confront them in 1984. Again, this happened in my school activism days so I know what I am talking about. Also, the objective history books and websites still online support this history. Yet, AIT shamelessly tried to claim that religious riots started under Buhari.
BIG FAT LIE #2.THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED BUHARI EXPELLED GHANIANS FROM NIGERIA – This is also a verifiable lie. Simply Google or ask any Ghanaian old enough at the time. It was President Shehu Shagari of NPN who first expelled over 1,000,000 Ghanaians in 1983 in the infamous ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ inicdent, as some sort of retaliation for what the Ghanaians did to Nigeria in 1969. This was BEFORE Buhari came to power. You can check the facts yourself from this 1983 story by New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/02/world/by-land-and-sea-they-stream-from-nigeria.html
BIG FAT LIE #3. THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED GLORIA OKOH, THE DRUG CARIRER DISAPPEARED FROM JUSTICE UNDER BUHARI – Another lie from the pit of hell. We all know the Gloria Okon fake ‘death’ and disappearance saga happened under Ibrahim Babanginda after he overthrew Buhari. In fact, the late Dele Giwa was rumored to have been bombed to eternity AFTER Buhari had been overthrown, for being too nosy about what really happened. I remember very well how Gani Fawehinmi fought a gallant battle to bring the perpetrators to justice. Again, the person most people accused at the time was Ibrahim Babangida, who overthrew Buhari, and NOT Buhari himself.
BIG FAT LIE #4. THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED FELA IDENTIFIED BUHARI IN THE $2.8BILLION OIL MONEY SCANDAL IN HIS SONG– This is a big lie. Fela’s song about the missing money is still available EVERYWHERE. I have a copy of it and have listened to it again just in case I didn’t listen well before. Truth is FELA NEVER MENTINED BUHARI’S NAME. He only mentioned OBJ and ABIOLA. Of course the AIT people disingenuously edited that part of the tape out when they played Fela’s music in their documentary. This is definite proof they DELIBERATELY LIED otherwise why not let the song play to the point where names were mentioned?
BIG FAT LIE #5. THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED THAT BUHARI HAD A HAND IN THE DEATH OF FELA’S MOTHER- FUNMILAYO RANSOME KUTI. Again, a simple fact check by my 6 year old daughter would reveal that Fela’s mother died after Olusegun Obasanjo invaded the KALAKUTA Republic of Fela in 1978. It was OBJ that ordered the house of his former Abeokuta Grammar School mate to be burnt down over his criticism of OBJ government. I remember that one very well because our house was a walking distance from Fela’s shrine then and we all rushed to witness the ‘unknown soldier’ saga play out in living colors and I saw Fela’s mother actually being thrown out of the window from upstairs by soldiers loyal to OBJ. Fela even released a song about it WELL BEFORE Buhari even came power more than 6 years later in 1984.
BIG FAT LIE #6. THE DOCUEMNTARY CLAIMED BUHARI IMPROSONED INNOCENT POLITICIANS. This is one of the most unfortunate lies of the whole sordid documentary. The fact of history shows that All Politicians that was sentenced to prison by the 1984 Military Tribunal were found to either enrich themselves with public funds or diverted public funds. None of them were convicted by fiat. Even the President Jonathan they were trying to help did not really say the politicians were innocent. He only said there should have been a difference between STEALING AND FRAUD! He said someday stole ‘only N5m’ and was given 15 years jail or someone stole money that was not enough to buy a Volkswagen and was sentenced to life. LWKMD! A government thief is a THIEF, whether N1 or N100M. THEY WERE ALL TRIED, not by Buhari but by a properly constituted tribunal. IN any case, how any sane person who was an adult in 1983 could argue that people like Umaru Dikko, Akinloye, Ambrose ALLI and even Ekwueme were innocent is beyond me.
BIG FAT LIE #7. THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED THAT BUHARI HAS BEEN LOSING SINCE Buhari 1999. This is a lie. Buhari’s first shot was in 2003. In 1999, it was Chief Olu Falae of ANPP/AD that contested against Obj. In any case why does it matter if he contested so many times and lost? Many great leaders have lost countless elections before finally getting a chance. Even the Great Obafemi Awolowo and the Great Nnamdi Azikiwe also contested many times too without winning, but I don’t see AIT criticizing that!
BIG FAT LIE #8. THE DOCUMENTARY CRITICISED BUHARI FOR HIS STEWARDSHIP OF PTF –Yet the truth remains that he was vigorously investigated by the vengeful OBJ and NOTHING was found on him. Even OBJ recently confessed that the Fraud investigation report did not find anything against Buhari. Still that did not stop the lying journalists at AIT from claiming he was corrupt as the PTF leader though they could not show any proof.
BIG FAT LIE #9. THE DOCUMENTARY CLAIMED THAT BUHARI OWNED AND BENEFITED FROM AFRI-PROJECTS CONSORTIUM SCANDALS– While I definitely agree that the Afri-Project Consortium did a poor job with the enormous responsibilities it was given as consultants by the PTF, there is no shred of evidence to suggest that Buhari is one of its owners or that he personally benefited from their operations. It is a testament to the deception behind this hogwash documentary that the narrator kept saying ‘APC’ in its presentation of Afri-Projects Consortium to somehow connect the company with APC on a mental level. What a shame.
The truth behind this big fat lie is that Afri-Projects Consortium Ltd is a registered company in Nigeria and the AIT should have published their Form CO2 AND C07 to show us the real owners. Buhari has constantly challenged everyone to show proof of any ill-gotten wealth in his hands and nobody, including the AIT crew, has been able to do that. The man still lives in a modest house, and remains the only former head of state without mansions in Abuja or elsewhere, and yet these idiots would want us to believe he stole billions of dollars
THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER
Having exposed the Big Fat Lies of AIT in this piece, I will like to end by pointing out the poetic justice that nemesis has already meted to Jonathan and AIT for this hatchet job.
Right after running their sham documentary for the umpteenth time, they decided to run a flash poll for Nigerians to choose who their President should be between Jonathan and Buhari. To their shock and amazement, they poll showed that over 70% of the people who voted on the AIT Poll still preferred Buhari regardless of the shameful lies against him!
With serious egg on their face, and public embarrassment brought on by the fact that their little cheap ploy has backfired, the AIT hurriedly removed the poll and claimed their poll was hacked!
When challenged, they foolishly supplied a text file to show how the ‘hacking was done’. To add insult to injury, some good tech people have been able to demonstrate that AIT even that document of proof of hacking, was forged by AIT too! Yes, in case you have not read it, one of the more reputable Nigerian internet personalities out there, Gbenga Sesan, was able to demonstrate, in black and white examination of the data, that the so-called evidence of ‘hacking’ released by AIT was FORGED! Again, don’t take my word for it, simply go to Gbenga Sesan’s data analysis on his twitter handle to see for yourself.
The fact that President Jonathan and his paid supporters are desperate to win at all costs is all too obvious, even to the blind. It is really annoying that every time you ask Jonathan’s supporters to give you a lucid reason why Jonathan should be returned for another 4 years, all they keep saying is ‘Buhari was a dictator and an Islamist’. Essentially, their strategy remains, ‘Vote for Jonathan because Buhari is bad’. What an embarrassment!
Really, someone needs to tell President Goodluck Jonathan and his hapless strategists that the Red-herring argument will not work this time around. Nigerians have seen Jonathan for what he is in the last 6 years, and no amount of red-herring will change the minds of right thinking people about him. President Jonathan needs to go back to Utueke and let some else try to set the ship of our country straight from the disastrous waters that he, and his Cabal of Corruption, have sailed us into in the last 6 years.
This may be HardTalk, but it is True-Talk nevertheless.
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