President Muhammadu Buhari has confessed that he often hides behind Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, whenever journalists come after him.
In a piece, The Final Gallop Home, in his weekly column, From the Inside …Fridays with Femi Adesina, the media aide said Buhari made the confession during a visit to the Presidential Villa by Foursquare Gospel Church of Nigeria.
The church turned 60 at the time.
The presidential spokesman said the president made the confession in response to the church thanking him for appointing one of their own, Femi Adesina, as his aide.
He said the president said rather than him being thanked, he should thank Adesina for coming to serve and doing a fantastic job.
Writes Adesina: ‘At another time, early in the life of the administration, my church, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, was turning 60. The leadership asked if the President could receive them.
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‘I spoke with President Buhari. And he said; why not? Let them come.
‘The then General Overseer, Rev Felix Meduoye, led a team of about 10 people. During the meeting, he said thank you to the President for appointing one of their members as his media adviser. And what did the President say?
‘“I should rather thank Adesina for coming to serve. He has built a professional career of integrity and sound reputation, and he now brought everything to serve us.
‘“Whenever his colleagues come after me, which they do often, I hide behind him. I take refuge behind him. So, I am the one to say thank you to him.”
‘General laughter.’
Adesina said the president had been thankful to him on very many occasions for doing a good job as a media aide.
His piece reads further:
‘When you are on this kind of National assignment, it’s your boss you are strictly responsible to, and not other extraneous tendencies. You hold your office at his pleasure. Once he’s satisfied with you, forget the noise of the market. The Good Book: “Who are you to judge another man’s servant? It is before his master that he rises or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)
‘How many times have I appeared on television, granted radio interviews, and the President has watched, listened, or read every word I said in newspapers. He would see me later, and thank me for being there.
‘I won’t forget two particular instances, among very many. I had appeared on Sunday Politics, on Channels Television, and you know how combative, nay, pugilistic, the host of the show, Seun Okinbaloye, can be. Well, you know also that your’s truly can equally hold his own.
‘The next morning, the President saw me in the office. And said: “Adesina, I watched you on television last night. I could virtually see how fast your brain was working. The interviewer was digging holes for you, and you were cleverly sidestepping them. I said to myself; are these people not colleagues? So, why was he trying to pull you down? Thank you, thank you and thank you for being there.”
‘We laughed.’
Adesina wrote on how excited he had been preparing to leave the office after serving for about eight years.
‘You need to see how I vibrate each time I engage in this packing. With joy, expectations, like a horse galloping home. And my Secretary of eight years, Rosemary Ezugoh, a career civil servant who was there before me, and remains after me, would come in, hiss, turn her face away, and say: “Oga is just harassing us with the fact that he’s leaving soon.” Hahahaahaaaa. “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one that is to come,” says the Good Book. (Hebrews 13, verse 14).’
