A presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, and a former aide to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, engaged in a heated exchange on social media over comments linked to the rehabilitation of the Ilesha–Ibadan Expressway.
The disagreement followed Onanuga’s reaction to reports that vandals were disrupting work on the highway, during which he suggested that those responsible should be dealt with decisively.
In a post shared on Sunday, Onanuga described vandals as “the worst species of citizens” and called for them to be “shot at sight,” a remark that quickly drew criticism online.
Responding, Shaibu condemned the statement, arguing that no government official should encourage extrajudicial actions and insisting that criminal acts must be addressed through arrest, investigation and prosecution.
The exchange later shifted from security concerns to language use, as Shaibu faulted the wording of Onanuga’s comment, insisting that the correct expression was “shoot on sight” rather than “shoot at sight.”
Onanuga, in a reply the following day, dismissed the criticism and maintained that both expressions were acceptable, urging Shaibu to improve his grasp of grammar.
Shaibu, however, stood his ground, explaining that “shoot on sight” was a fixed idiom and that altering it amounted to grammatical error.
He accused the presidential aide of defending an incorrect usage and insisted that public officials should be careful with both their words and the implications of their statements.