The Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bukola Saraki has gone to Twitter to express his displeasure at how Nigerians misconstrued a national exercise by Nigerian senators on Wednesday, April 18, 2019.
He expressed himself thus: “It is part of the NASS culture to organize an assembly program that will unite all senators in a power run. The 7th assembly did a hurdle race in which they jumped fences in 2014, this is our own exercise. It’s a pass the mace relay race.”
Senate President Saraki, who was in Washington at the time of the exercise, expressed his grief over his absenteeism. He told journalists in America during a mini press briefing shortly after the incidence that he “wishes to be a part of it, but he had other errands to run for the country. I would like fellow patriotic Nigerians to relax, the mace wasn’t stolen, it was only a part of a legislative exercise.
He has however expressed his displeasure at how the media has been calling Senator Ovie Omo-Agege a thug. “He was only being patriotic,” the Senate President added.
The spokesperson for the Nigerian President, Mr Femi Adesina also expressed the President’s opinion in a media release this morning. The release read, “Nigerian youths need to learn from our senators. They might be old, but they are shining examples of leadership and athleticism. Learn from Abuja and Edo.” The Edo state parliament had also yesterday engulfed in fisticuffs while trying to impeach the Speaker, in a friendly exercise yesterday. The honourable members had emulated Anthony Joshua by choosing to be boxers in their little physical exercise.
The media has been awash with various stories of how the Senators and Honourable members are bad eggs to the young people of Nigeria. Our reporter gathered however that the opposite is the case. In a statement released by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, now titled the Mace runner, he mentioned that “we need to play with ourselves every now and then. The mace running had nothing to do with my suspension. I, in fact, came to participate in the spirit of sportsmanship. I appreciate the efforts of Senator Sheu Sanni who gave the house his waist belt to use when one of my men ran beyond the finish line with the mace.
“He had probably forgotten that we were supposed to return it.” About his subsequent arrest, Senator Ovie mentioned that “when you win in Olympics, they take you away from the pitch to dress you up for eventual medal presentation, which was what happened.”
Peculiar Mess reporting, for Pun.o.cracy news.
