Tag: Femi Adesina

  • Shame on those wishing Buhari dead- Adesina

    Shame on those wishing Buhari dead- Adesina

    Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina has decried false publications about the death of President Muhammadu Buhari who is London for follow up treatment.

    In a article titled “The learnt Nothing, and forgot nothing” Adesina said it is wrong for any group of people to wish the President dead and clone websites of international media houses to announce the falsehood.

    “Why do some people want their own President dead? Why do they want the eclipse of a man who is actuated by nothing other than love for his country? Why have they constituted themselves into enemies of national progress, haters of all that is good?
    ” But must any human being be hateful to the point of wishing another person dead, and indeed broadcasting a death that never happened? Shame. Shame upon evil wishers, purveyors of lies and wickedness. Do they have blood running in their veins at all? Do they realize that wishing another person dead, is sin before God?,” Adesina wrote.
    Below is the full text of the article:
    THEY LEARNT NOTHING, AND FORGOT NOTHING
    By FEMI ADESINA
    They showed their pernicious hands again last Sunday, and have been on the prowl since then, roaring like a lion, seeking who to devour. Purveyors of death they are, and they have killed President Muhammadu Buhari many times over, cloned the websites of international media houses to announce the hoax, but their wishes did not become horses, so they remain stranded, with nothing to ride.
    Between January 19, this year, when the President first proceeded on vacation, and March 10, when he returned, they had announced his demise many times. They even created apocryphal images and footages to back up their inhuman claims, but God showed them He was the ultimate. The Real Deal, the Special One. President Buhari came back alive, and disclosed that he would still return to London at a later date for medical follow-up. He eventually left on the night of Sunday, May 7.
    They saw the Deux ex machina, the Invisible Hands of God, between January and March, but they are so steeped and marooned in unbelief, evil wishes and malediction, that they have started all over again. Last Sunday, they cloned popular websites for the umpteenth time, using them to announce the figment of their diseased imagination. They learnt nothing, and forgot nothing from the immediate past experience. And you begin to ask yourself, just as the Good Book also asked:”Why do the heathens rage, and the people imagine vain things?” Why do they arrogate to themselves the power that belongs only to God? “I can kill, and I can make alive,” says God in His word. But these purveyors of hate possibly don’t know God. That is why they declare a man dead, when God has not said so. Once has God spoken, and twice have I heard it, that power belongs to God.
    Millions upon millions of Nigerians love President Muhammadu Buhari. They love his simplicity, his forthrightness, incorruptibility, love of country, and many other virtues. And they are praying. Bombarding Heaven with petitions. Baba o, Baba o, Baba o. Olorun da Baba si fun wa, Baba o, Baba o, Baba o. Olorun da Baba si fun wa. Oh God, spare our Baba, the father of the country. Spare him for us, O Lord we pray. And Heaven is listening to the supplications. We await the full manifestation.
    Millions of us can follow Baba blindfolded into battle. We love him that much, and it is within our rights. But have you seen a man ever loved by everybody? Show me. Even if you feed an entire city daily, some people still won’t like your guts. So, those who are not Buharists have a right to their convictions. But must any human being be hateful to the point of wishing another person dead, and indeed broadcasting a death that never happened? Shame. Shame upon evil wishers, purveyors of lies and wickedness. Do they have blood running in their veins at all? Do they realize that wishing another person dead, is sin before God? Yet they go to churches, mosques, and other worship houses. Who are they worshiping? The Unknown God.
    Why do some people, a tiny but vocal minority, wish the President dead? Do they know that if God wills, the man they wish dead could outlive them by many years? There was a lady who was very active on social media in 2015, before the presidential election of that year. She was in the league of anti-Buhari elements. Oh, he was too old. Oh, he was sickly. Yes, he would soon die. The lady was rabidly pontifical in her convictions, parading herself as someone with a charmed life, who would live forever. And then, it happened! Sometime last year, she died! When I saw the news online, I just shook my head, and prayed for the repose of her soul. I did not gloat. No need to. Not in her wildest imagination could she have thought that she would pre-decease President Buhari. But who has the final say? Jehovah has the final say. The breath of man is in his nostrils, and God can decide to extinguish his candle at anytime. Jehovah has the final say. It is not by age, not by how healthy you seem, or how sickly you are. It’s a lesson some people have not learnt. They learn nothing, and forget nothing.
    Back to the earlier question. Why do some people want their own President dead? Why do they want the eclipse of a man who is actuated by nothing other than love for his country? Why have they constituted themselves into enemies of national progress, haters of all that is good? Why do they prefer the dark jungle of infamy to the light of a clear and bright day, signposted by freedom from rapacity and lootocracy? Who then are these enemies?
    “Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand 10 percent, those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so that they can remain in office as Ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds.”
    Those were the words of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, after the country’s first military coup in 1966. You may like Nzeogwu, or you may not, depending on how you view his actions and inactions. But you can hardly deny the veracity of what he said. And 51 years later, the words still ring true.
    The enemies of Buhari are the political profiteers. To them, political office is not about service, but about making profit. Ordinary people can go to hell, and stay there. Personal profit is the name of the game.
    The swindlers, too. Enemies of righteousness and transparency. They swindle man, and even try to swindle God. Of course, they wouldn’t want a new sheriff in town. They’d rather shoot him, and sing the reggae song:”I shot the sheriff…”
    Those that seek bribe and demand 10 percent. Enemies. Only that they are not satiated by 10 percent again. They take the entire 100 percent, and leave the country prostrate. But when a Daniel comes to judgment, and hurls them before the law, knowing neither friend nor foe, they wish that he dies. Gerrout, so that business as usual continues, they shout.
    Those that seek to keep the country divided permanently. Evil souls. They use all the fault lines. Religion. Ethnicity. Language. Everything. We saw it all in the 2015 elections. They cashed in on all things that divide us as a people. But Nigerians were resolute for change, and they got it. But did those people give up? Did Pharaoh desist from pursuing the people of Israel? Hell, no! Till he ended in a watery grave. The stubborn fly follows the corpse into the grave.
    For the greater part of this year, President Buhari has been away from home. But whether present or absent, he still looms large. The mere fact that his shadow hovers over the land riles evil workers to no end. But what can anybody do? Jehovah has the final say.
    The old order is giving way for a new one in Nigeria. In just two years, the back of insurgency has been broken, corruption is taking a shellacking, and the comatose economy is turning round. Despite it all, some people still wish the President dead. Sad and sorry. But thankfully, they don’t have the final say.
    However, if they refuse to repent, we can repent on their behalf, lest judgment comes speedily on them. How dreadful it would be.
    Lord, we are sorry,
    We’ve turned around and gone astray,
    Your trust for us we have betrayed,
    Your power we don’t recognize
    Your Lordship we have all despised,
    We cannot pretend
    We all now repent
    Forgive us Lord we pray
    Bring down your glory…
    May God bless Panam Percy Paul, who sang the song. May God accept our repentance on behalf of evil wishers. May God spare our President, and restore him to full health.
    Baba o, Baba o, Baba o, Oluwa da Baba si fun wa.
    Lord, please spare our President. Spare him for us, to the glory of your name. Let those who learn nothing, and forget nothing, be purged of all evil. Let them turn new leaf.
    Amen somebody!

  • Osinbajo confirms rescue of another Chibok schoolgirl, says Femi Adesina

    Osinbajo confirms rescue of another Chibok schoolgirl, says Femi Adesina

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday confirmed that another Chibok schoolgirl had been found, barely 12 days after the release of the 82 abducted girls by their captors.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who made this known to State House correspondents in Abuja, said the recovery of the girl was announced by the acting president during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.

    According to her, the affected girl has been brought to Abuja to join her colleagues who were rescued from captivity.
    Cue in audio – Adesina

    “Yes, at the Federal Executive Council’s meeting, the Vice-President broke the cheering news to members of the cabinet and after that I have also spoken to defence people who confirmed it.

    “The details are yet to fully unravel . But in terms of is it true- yes, it is true. I learnt she is already being brought to Abuja, but I have not seen her

    The presidential aide expressed the hope that the remaining Chibok schoolgirls and other Nigerians in captivity would soon be rescued.

    He also dismissed the assertion that members of the Boko Haram sect had started regrouping in the Sambisa forest, saying that the Federal Government had the capacity to confront any security challenge arising from any part of the country.

    “One thing you can be sure of is that this government has the capacity to confront any security challenge that arises.

    “So, if they are regrouping they will be flushed out again.

    “I believe that we have seen the worst of that insurgency. We are in a mopping up process and I believe the mop up would be completed.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 82 girls were recently released by their captors in exchange for five Boko Haram (commanders) suspects held by the federal government. Twenty one others were released in October last year and another three also regained their freedom, in separate circumstances.

    They were released to international negotiators who have been working in collaboration with the federal government for their safe return since they were kidnapped in April 2014.(NAN)

  • President Buhari congratulates ace broadcaster, Kunle Olasope, at 80

    President Buhari congratulates ace broadcaster, Kunle Olasope, at 80

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated ace broadcaster and renowned voice talent, Otunba Kunle Olasope, who turns 80 years on May 8.

    President Buhari, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Mr Femi Adesina in Abuja on Sunday, felicitated with all the professional colleagues, friends and family of Olasope.

    The President noted the historical role of Olasope on Oct. 31, 1959, as the first African broadcaster to appear on the Western Nigeria Television Authority, which he said  completely changed the tone of journalism in Nigeria, and Africa.

    He commended Olasope’s courage and patriotism “as he continues to inspire younger broadcasters across the country in both the public and private sectors, encouraging a generation of highly skilled and specialized broadcasters that currently chair TV stations and ply their trade globally’’.

    According to the President, the veteran broadcaster’s legacies will always be remembered, and hopes that his antecedents of discipline, focus and commitment to fairness and excellence will be sustained in the industry.

    He prayed that God would grant Otunba Olasope longer life, good health and more wisdom to serve his country.

     

  • Buhari denies harassing Jonathan’s family

    Buhari denies harassing Jonathan’s family

    • Says the law only taking its course

    The Presidency on Wednesday denied the allegations that President Muhammadu Buhari was harassing members of former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s family.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, reacted to the headline story in a national newspaper of Wednesday, entitled: ‘Buhari’s Govt Harassing my Family, Says Jonathan.’

    According to the report, former President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have made the allegation in a new book, “Against The Run of Play”, written by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi.

    RELATED: Buhari’s govt harassing my family, says Jonathan

    Jonathan was also reported to have disagreed with the style being used by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in fighting corruption.

    The statement reads “We make bold to state unequivocally that President Buhari harasses nobody; he merely allows the law to take its course.

    “For the umpteenth time, we say that anybody without a skeleton in his or her cupboard has nothing to fear about the bared fangs of the anti-corruption initiative. Fear belongs only to those who have abused trust while in office.

    “Anybody who feels aggrieved is free to approach the courts to seek redress or justice. President Buhari believes in the rule of law and that is why his campaign against corruption is anchored on that plank.

    RELATED: Court orders forfeiture of Patience Jonathan’s $5.8m

    “With regard to President Buhari’s anti-graft style, which the former president deprecates, given the scale of revelations and recoveries so far by the anti-corruption agencies, it is obvious that corruption had an uninhibited course during our recent past.

    “In any case, time will give the verdict on whose style of fighting corruption ultimately yielded the most dividends. For now, President Buhari is resolute and single-minded in the fact that his crusade against graft is not targeted at any individual or group.”

    Buhari, the statement said, firmly believed that national interest must always be placed above personal interest, no matter who is involved.

  • Buhari congratulates veteran journalist Tony Momoh on 78th birthday

    Buhari congratulates veteran journalist Tony Momoh on 78th birthday

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated veteran journalist and former Minister of Information and Culture, Prince Tony Momoh, on his 78th birthday.

    Buhari, in a statement, joined Momoh’s professional and political colleagues, friends and family in celebrating the cerebral statesman.

    The statement was issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He noted that Momoh’s career in journalism, as an editor and administrator, covered some of the most dramatic and defining moments of Nigeria’s history.

    The president extolled the courage, versatility and nobility exuded by the former minister in making tough and selfless decisions for the benefit of the nation.

    He particularly saluted Momoh’s decision to serve with opposition parties like All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (APC) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), in spite of all the odds.

    President Buhari recalled with delight, his many insightful encounters with the septuagenarian over the years, and said Momoh would be remembered for his unalloyed support for the truth.

    He prayed that God would grant the former minister longer life, good health and more wisdom to serve his community and the country.

    Momoh, born on April 27, 1939 in Auchi, Edo, served as Minister of Information and Culture between 1986 and 1990, during the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

  • Presidency orders recall of expelled Punch Reporter

    Presidency orders recall of expelled Punch Reporter

    The Presidency has ordered the recall of the Correspondent of Punch Newspapers, Olalekan Adetayo, attached to the State House, Abuja, barely 10 hours after his expulsion from the beat.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, confirmed this development in a message addressed to the Chairman of the State House Press Corps, Malam Ubale Musa.

    The presidential spokesman revealed that the recall of Adetayo followed the intervention of the Director-General of the Department for State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura.

    According to him, his office and that of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity will resolve the issue on Tuesday.

    “”We just got a clearance from Malam Lawal Daura, the DG SSS, to recall Lekan to the Villa. Please come along with him tomorrow.

    “”The Special Adviser on Media, Femi Adesina and I will resolve the issues,” he said.

    It would be recalled Adetayo was interrogated on Monday afternoon by the office of the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the president over a story the presidency considered offensive.

    The correspondent, who spent about 45 minutes with his interrogators, was later escorted out of the Presidential Villa by security operatives after picking his belongings from the Press Gallery of the Council Chamber.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, however, posted on his twitter handle on Monday evening that his office was not consulted before Adetayo was expelled from the Villa by the CSO.

    According to him, an amicable solution to the matter is being worked out by relevant offices in the Villa, adding that President Buhari does not intend to muzzle the media in any way.

     

  • Buhari media office disowns CSO over Punch correspondent’s expulsion

    Buhari media office disowns CSO over Punch correspondent’s expulsion

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s media office on Monday distanced itself from the expulsion of the Punch correspondent covering the Presidential Villa, Mr. Olalekan Adetayo.

    All journalists in the Villa are directly attached to the office of the Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina.

    Adetayo was on Monday afternoon expelled by Buhari’s Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar, over story considered offensive to the Presidency.

    The Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, on his Twitter handle said that he was not consulted before Adetayo was expelled.

    He said “We weren’t consulted in the media office by the CSO before he expelled The Punch reporter.

    President Buhari is committed to press freedom.

    “An amicable solution would be found to The Punch reporter matter. President Buhari does not intend to muzzle the media in any way.” he added

  • Buhari congratulates Peterside over election as AAMA chief

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside on his election as the new Chairman of the Association of African Maritime Administrators (AAMA).i

    The president’s congratulatory message was issued in a statement by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Saturday in Abuja.

    Buhari said: “Peterside’s unanimous election is not only a personal honour and affirmation of confidence in his ability to lead AAMA, but also places Nigeria in a pivotal position to rally other maritime administrations in collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) toward safer global maritime activities.’’

    He acknowledged NIMASA’s encouraging performance under Peterside, especially in the fight against sea piracy through inter-agency cooperation.

    According to the president, Peterside’s new position provides him with an even bigger platform to forge ahead in doing the nation proud by meeting the objectives of AAMA.

    While wishing the new Chairman of AAMA successful one-year tenure, he expressed confidence that within this period, the Federal Government’s renewed focus on growing the Nigerian economy through increased maritime resources would be further enhanced.

    Dakuku Peterside emerged chairman of AAMA at the end of the 3rd Annual Conference of the continental organisation in Abuja on Friday.

    Peterside took over the chairmanship position from Sobantu Tilayi, the acting Chief Executive Officer of South African Maritime and Safety Agency (SAMSA), who has been the acting Chair of the association since 2013.

     

  • EFCC may investigate SGF, NIA – Presidency

    EFCC may investigate SGF, NIA – Presidency

    The suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke, may be investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when the three-man panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari concludes its work, the Presidency has said.

    Buhari had on Wednesday suspended Lawal over the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on North East, while Oke was suspended in connection with discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the EFCC in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, for which the NIA has made a claim.

    The President set up a three-man committee comprising the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, to investigate the allegations against both government officials.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who featured on Sunrise Daily, a breakfast Programme on Channels Television in Abuja on Friday, said both government officials would be handed over to the EFCC if there is need for it.

    Adesina also said it was right for Buhari to set up an investigative panel to look into the allegations against the SGF and the claim to the slush funds by the NIA DG.

    He said: “If it (investigation by the EFCC) gets to that point it will be done but it seems not to have got to that point now. After the investigation, after the panel concludes its work and there is anything for the EFCC to look at I am sure it will be done.

    “The government believes that setting up an investigation at this time is right and government has the mandate of the people. It will not satisfy everybody but it does not matter.

    “You will never win with some Nigerians, they will always find faults but then, government has been elected and government is in place to do certain things and government would do what it believes to be right at any given time.”

    The presidential aide also said the Buhari administration’s anti-corruption fight had always been there.

    “The anti- corruption war had been there. You don’t necessarily judge something by the volume of noise that accompanies it. For me as an insider I know a lot had been going. Allegations must always be investigated,” he said.

    .

     

  • APC chieftain wants Buhari to sack incompetent, corrupt appointees

    APC chieftain wants Buhari to sack incompetent, corrupt appointees

    A member of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Timi Frank, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sack appointees, including cabinet members, who had brought the Federal Government to disrepute.

    He made the call in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, while reacting to the suspension of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal by the president.

    In the suspension announced in a statement by Mr Femi Adesina, his Media Adviser, on Wednesday in Abuja, Buhari also ordered an investigation into allegations of violations of law and due process against the SGF in the award of contracts.

    Also suspended by the president was the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ayo Oke.

    Lawal was alleged to have committed the offences as Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on the North-East (PINE).

    Frank said the suspension of the SGF and the NIA boss was long overdue.

    Oke’s suspension followed the recent discovery of a large amount of money in local and foreign currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an apartment on 6, Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    The NIA and Oke had claimed that the money belonged to the organisation.

    The President also ordered full-scale investigation into the development.

    Frank had earlier written an open letter to Buhari, demanding openness in the handling of controversial money discovered by the EFCC.

    According to him, the suspension of the NIA boss will boost the confidence of Nigerians in the Federal Government`s fight against corruption in the country.

    He expressed confidence that the three-member committee set up by the president to investigate the matters would come up with a result that would please Nigerians.

    “The president should take more bold steps like this to sack all the incompetent hands in his government.

    “Some of these actions are long overdue; Nigerians want to see a type of action President Zuma took in South Africa.

    “This government must do more to ensure that the act of corruption become a thing of the past in Nigeria by getting to the root of this controversial 49 million dollars,’’ he said.

    Frank advised that anybody found wanting at the end of the investigation should be prosecuted.