Former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has called out spokesmen of Nigerian leaders over the use of the popular cliché ‘rude shock’ while reacting to the death of someone.
OsunDaily News reports that Reno, in a post shared on Instagram, urged the spokesmen to broaden their vocabulary.
According to him, death is certain for everyone, and it is wrong to describe the death of an elderly person as a rude shock.
Reno added that the use of such phrases for condolence messages is tiring and spokesmen should update their lexicon.
He wrote: “Spokesmen for Nigerian leaders should try to broaden their vocabulary because it is now a tired old cliché to say that someone’s death was a ‘rude shock’.
“I mean an elderly person dies and you say it is a rude shock. Do you know what the word shock means? It means a sudden and surprising event.
“Death is very certain for everyone, except Yeshua tarries. It is a matter of when, not if. But, beyond that, the death of an aged person is never a shock. It is sad. It may also be a blow. Or a rude awakening. And distressing. Or may cause you anguish or heartbreak. It may even be disastrous. But it is never a rude shock.
“It should be expected. That is why the New York Times has a pre-written obituary for celebrities who have passed a certain age. But in Nigeria, many of our leaders just use the words ‘rude shock’. It has become a stock phrase of Nigerian leaders condolences. Where is our imagination? Let’s use it and update our lexicon.”
