Mixed reactions have trailed Nigeria’s popular afrobeat singer, Teni Apata, for neither shaking nor greeting President Muhammadu Buhari while receiving a national award.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday conferred the National Honours Award on 447 persons at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
According to the National Honours Award Investiture 2022 Programme, 450 recipients were awarded, making the total number of Nigeria’s national honours awardees 5,341 since 1963.
Of the 450 recipients, six were awarded Grand Commanders of the Order of the Niger (GCON), 55 Commanders of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), 74 Members of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), 77 Officers of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).Others are 110 Officers of the Order of the Niger (OON), 55 Members of the Order of the Niger (MON), 65 Commanders of the Order of the Niger (CON), Four Federal Republic Medal- First Class (FRM I) and Four Federal Republic Medal- Second Class FRM II.
During award ceremony, Teni was seen to be the only recipient who failed to greet or shake the President when collecting her award.
Her action generated a lot of controversies among Nigerian netizens who either viewed Teni’s conduct as a total disrespect to the office of the presidency or as commendable to the spirit of activism.
A user, Okezie Atami, wrote, “Shame On You,Teni..Or Whatever They Call YOU! YOU Are A Disgrace To All Well Trained Nigerians! You DISGRACED yourself and not the office of the President, YOU danced to the tune of our youths who lack manners. Shame On You!”
According to Prettyyetty, Teni has not contributed anything to national growth and development to warrant her nomination for a national award and this was why she displayed no respect to the president of the country.
“I won’t even blame her. It’s those that includes her name in the list that is at fault. What has she contributed to entertainment industry when we have Dbang and many others.” he wrote.
“She doesn’t deserves it they should withdraw if possible, human character matters a lot. This is minus to her she will leaves to regret it,” another user, Vadeboje added.
Meanwhile, some people commended the manner in which Teni received the award.
For instance, a user, FS Yusuf said, “People are not worried that a failed Minister of Education is getting a national award, they are worried that Paystack Ezra Olubi “didn’t dress to impress their daddy” and Teni didn’t dobalè for emperor Buhari. I don taya for una. I swear.”
“Teni did what most of your so called celebrities had no guts to do. Nigerian youths has constantly received disrespect and abuse from the Nigeria government. What does APC blind bats mean that she disrespected the President, I thought they say Respect is reciprocal?” another user, Duke of Africa wrote.
Another user, Amanda Kayode said that President Buhari deserves no respect from Nigerians considering how his government has made life so terrible for his citizens for the past seven years he assumed office.
She said, “Buhari is the perfect definition of god forbid bad thing and I don’t understand why Teni should respect the bad thing that god is forbidding.”
Tẹni stood in for her late dad, and couldn’t even respect that space for her late dad’s sake?
Her dad used to harass random people for disrespecting the national anthem when being sung, and here was his daughter disrespecting what he stood for.