Meeting 2-year-old Prince George, the future King of Britain was not the only thing President Barack Obama did in his recent official visit to the United Kingdom – probably his last as US President. Mr Obama also wrote an article in which he argued that Brits should vote to remain in the European Union in a coming referendum on that matter.
But that piece of advice did not go down well with many members of the British public as well as its press, and some ‘bold’ government officials, as they came out on Twitter and other media to condemn his ‘intervention’ in the internal affairs of the UK.
Obama sticking his hooter in the #Brexit debate. Well I suggest the USA become part of the United Kingdom again! How'd ya like them apples?!
— Desailly's child (@shedboy63) April 22, 2016
Obama’s Brexit overreach is typical of his arrogance, says Tim Montgomerie @montie https://t.co/lHWvNkq9Nl pic.twitter.com/hFsBFrCMo7
— The Spectator (@spectator) April 22, 2016
In fact, London Mayor, Boris Johnson came down heavily on Barrack Obama, suggesting in a newspaper article that the US President is trying to give Britain bad advice because of his Kenyan heritage (Obama’s father is from Kenya, and Britain once colonized Kenya).
They are basically telling Obama to shut up and face his job of being US President. They are basically telling him that he is not a UK politician, so he doesn’t have the right to tell UK voter how to vote in the referendum.
What!? These are the same people who are always trying to tell African countries, including my own Nigeria whether to devalue its currency the Naira or not!
Their citizens at the World Bank and IMF come down to our country to tell Nigeria whether to deregulate its petroleum sector or not; whether to balance its budget or not.
Their media is awash with attacks on my president, Muhammadu Buhari, for not deregulating Nigeria’s currency, even though it is not legal tender in the UK (where I was born in by the way).
But, now that they are being offered advice by a part-Kenyan, they realise that there is something called ‘interfering in a country’s internal affairs’.
Buhari come and see what I am seeing o!
This is Britain for you! Always doing to others what they wouldn’t take if done to them.
As a POTUS or a former POTUS Obama has every right to give advice to any country in the world, an advice is not an instruction.