Tinubu’s Media Aide Warns Against ‘Victim Mentality’ Amid Northern Outcry
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz on Wednesday, cautioned against what he described as a growing “victim mentality” among Northerners, warning that such a mindset could undermine the region’s productivity, development and collective confidence.
In a post shared on his verified Facebook account on Tuesday, Abdulaziz expressed concern over what he said was the increasing tendency to interpret routine developments as deliberate attacks on the North.
“I get increasingly worried by the rate at which our people increasingly descend into victim mentality. It is a dangerous cliff which, if we plunge into completely, will have a devastating consequence on our collective psyche and on our productivity and development as a people,” he wrote.
The presidential aide cited recent reactions to an internal circular by the Nigeria Immigration Service discontinuing passport printing at 10 additional centres, six of which are located in Northern Nigeria.
According to him, the decision was wrongly portrayed in some quarters as an attack on the region, despite not preventing applicants from obtaining passports in those locations.
He also defended the editorial judgment of a top online newspaper following criticism over its report on the appointment of a professor from Bayero University Kano to a United Nations committee.
Abdulaziz argued that critics misunderstood standard newsroom practices by alleging that the omission of the academic’s name from the headline and the initial use of a different photograph reflected regional bias.
“Guys, not everything is mischief or an agenda. There is what is called house-style in journalism,” he said, explaining that many news organisations often use more familiar references in headlines to attract readers rather than less widely known names.
Abdulaziz urged commentators and the public to avoid hastily attributing routine administrative or editorial decisions to anti-North sentiment, insisting that objective assessment was essential for healthy public discourse.