Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says some of the people who praised former President Muhammadu Buhari while he was in office later turned around to mock him after he left power.
Buhari, a former Head of State, was elected President in 2015 and served two four-year terms.
Speaking on sycophancy at the 2nd Raymond Dokpesi Diamond Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Abuja, Sule said he witnessed firsthand how politicians flattered Buhari in office, only to disown him afterward.
“By being a governor, I have seen what sycophancy can do. I have seen people actually sit in the presence of President (Muhammadu) Buhari to tell him, ‘Oh, you are the best ever. Nobody can do this better.’
“But the minute Buhari left government, they started saying, ‘Oh, he was one of the worst presidents we have ever seen.’ These are the same people but different moments. That is what sycophancy is all about,” PUNCH quoted Sule as saying.
The governor, who was honoured with an NIPR award and fellowship at the event, said he admired the late media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, for his courage in establishing the country’s first private radio and television stations during the military era.
Sule described it as a time when “nearly everything was controlled by government.”
“We are here to celebrate an icon of media. Dokpesi was not afraid to speak truth to power, even during difficult times,” he added.
In his remarks, NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, appreciated the Nasarawa governor for donating a parcel of land to the institute to establish the first global PR university in the state.
Neliaku also announced that the project is at an advanced stage.
According to him, the new institution will serve as a “knowledge hub” for grooming ethical communicators, transformational leaders, and development-oriented thinkers, aimed at bridging the gap between policy and practice in Nigeria’s public relations.
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