What bites Babachir Lawal? 

August 15, 2025 by Hardball

Just as well: Sunday Dare, the president’s special adviser on Media and Public Communication, has given Babachir Lawal, first secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) under President Muhammadu Buhari, a piece of his rather caustic tongue — and fairly so.

The former SGF must know that the privilege of elite access to the public space (radio, TV, even the new media, with its all-comer malady) comes with anticipated elite decorum.  If you breach that decorum, you’re fair game for whatever riposte comes your way.

So, if Lawal withered under Dare’s withering fire, he simply had it coming.  It wasn’t pretty, though!

Some tasters, from what Dare felt was an indecorous Lawal’s interview, on Channels TV: “The outing revealed a deeply troubled soul, slowly unravelling — even if wildly swinging in all directions, wearing ideological inconsistency like a badge of honour,” opened the blast. “It was obvious that the entire performance on Channels … was nothing more than a poorly scripted attempt to bait President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is the same man Babachir (who) once swore the ‘wrath of God’ should fall upon anyone who stood in Tinubu’s way to the Presidency.”

Dare was clearly piqued Lawal was heaping insults on the president.  He also claimed his grumpiness had to do with ogling the Tinubu vice presidential ticket, which proved a mission impossible.  During that gambit, an Armageddon flared over a “Muslim-Muslim” ticket, in which Lawal was the unfazed crusader-in-chief.  Two years later, after a quietened war front, Lawal would appear still unconsoled, nay unconsolable!

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Even then, the president won’t be the first the rather cocky Lawal would insult.  The other day, on a live show, he told TVC’s Nifemi Oguntoye: “Give me a break, man.  Shut up! …” bang on air!  But for Oguntoye’s civility and calm professionalism under a rude and crude assault, that interview could well have pivoted into an ugly shouting brawl.

Now, what’s eating Babachir Lawal?  Why does he think — and with Oguntoye, his body language was haughty, puffy and utterly condescending! — that being rude to others is the new high fashion in civilized discourse?

Then, his claim, at the Channels TV interview, that Peter Obi won the 2023 presidential election — how so?  By INEC records, Atiku Abubakar even beat Obi to the third place.  Though both second and third pushed their legal right to clamour for a sole spot they both lost, how could, in Lawal’s bizarre record, the third even have trumped the second, to claim a phantom win, when both knew they lost?  Lawal magic?

Lawal probably voted Obi — no crime! — the so-called “Christian candidate” in 2023. But that absurdity collapsed after that election had been lost and won.  For Lawal to still be mouthing that moonlight tale is not only reckless but also unbecoming.

Ex-SGF Lawal must know that he adds nothing to his reputation by throwing tantrums in interviews just to make a political point, no matter how cynical.  There’s life after politics — and the next generation are watching.  A word is enough for the wise.

Besides, Dare, a much younger fellow, should not be schooling Lawal on the etiquette of civility.  The reverse should be the case.  Those who have ears, let them hear!