Atiku’s Aide, Tinubu's Spokesman Trade Words Over "Grammatical Errors"
- Bayo Onanuga and Phrank Shaibu engage in a heated 'grammatical war' on Twitter
- Onanuga calls for severe action against vandals on the Ilesha-Ibadan Expressway
- Shaibu critiques Onanuga's grammar, arguing for correctness in public communication
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FCT, Abuja - The Special Adviser on Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, and the Senior Special Assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, traded words over “grammatical war” and corrections.
Both aides took to X (formerly known as Twitter) handles to tackle each other.
Source: Twitter
The exchanges were between the two senior media managers of Nigeria’s top political rivals – Tinubu and Atiku.
The drama ensued after Onanuga, through his X handle @aoanuga1956, said vandals of the rehabilitation work on the Ilesha-Ibadan Expressway should be shot at sight.
The presidential adviser, in a tweet posted at 8:09 am on Sunday, wrote:
“Just shoot these unconscionable vandals/thieves at sight. They are the worst species of citizenships.”
A few hours after the post, Shaibu dismissed Onanuga’s remarks via his X handle @phrankangel as “lawlessness.”
“As a government spokesman, you cannot call for citizens to be 'shot at sight.” That is not law enforcement, it is lawlessness. Anyone who talks like this has no business in public office.”
Atiku’s aide returned later in the night to the post, calling out the presidential spokesperson for committing a grammatical blunder on his post.
He pointed out the error in Onanuga’s “Shoot at Sight” post at 9:37 pm, claiming that the appropriate grammatical expression was supposed to be “Shoot on Sight”.
But early in the morning of Monday, February 2, 2026, Onanuga replied to Shaibu, saying: “Foolish boy. Both usages are correct. Upgrade your grammar.”
Shaibu also swiftly replied to Onanuga, saying:
“Now to the issue at hand: 'shoot on sight' is a fixed idiom. Fixed idioms are not open to distortion or creative rearrangement. Neither you nor your principal has the poetic, literary, or presidential licence to tamper with them.
“Shoot at sight,” like “you cannot eat your cake and have it,” “more grease to your elbow,” “first come, first serve,” or “crack your brain,” is a manifestation of weak heads. These are errors, not stylistic variants.
“It therefore smacks of wretched illiteracy to argue that such expressions can be used interchangeably. For clarity going forward, I recommend Brighter Grammar (Books 1-3).”
Onanuga was yet to reply to Shaibu’s elucidations on the use of the English Language as at the time of filling this report.
Tinubu’s aide batters Peter Obi for joining ADC
Recall that Onanuga played down Peter Obi's political strength, describing him as a politician who lacks the leadership pedigree to govern Nigeria.
Obi formally joined the ADC on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, in Enugu State, along with several of his supporters, including some prominent public figures.
The move is widely seen as a major boost for the ADC, a relatively marginal party now repositioning itself as the platform for a united opposition.
Atiku’s aide roasts Oshiomhole over comments
Legit.ng also reported that Shaibu criticised Senator Adams Oshiomhole for claiming Atiku lacks the capacity to govern Nigeria.
Shaibu accused Oshiomhole of hypocrisy, arguing that the APC under Oshiomhole’s influence failed Nigerians and left the country in its worst state in decades.
He defended Atiku’s leadership credentials, citing his economic reforms as Vice President.
Source: Legit.ng
