Special Adviser to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has said ‘some people’ are not encouraging the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in his efforts to secure Nigeria, revive the economy, and fight insecurity.
The President’s spokesperson also accused the Nigerian media of paying less attention to the achievements of Buhari, particularly those bordering on wins against insecurity.
Adesina made the allegations in an article titled, ‘The story that didn’t hug the headlines’, and shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday.
He noted that rather than showcase Buhari’s achievements on same topic, his traducers prefer to critise him openly and look away when he deserves some credits.
Making reference to the Global Terrorism Index 2022 report released last week by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) where Nigeria recorded the second-biggest reduction in deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, Adesina noted that both the Nigerian media and Buhari’s critic failed to give the achievements deserving coverage and mention respectively.
It is something that should hug the headlines, dominate the talk shows, go viral on social media, and be of interest to social commentators. But not a murmur, nor a whisper, as I said earlier.
As if in a conspiracy of silence, nobody talked about the report. The media didn’t report it, and those that did, superciliously tucked it away in a place where you would need to put on the torchlight before you would see it,” he said.
He added, “Now, just imagine that the same report had indicated that there was a spike in Boko Haram killings in Nigeria, with the carnage exceeding that of the previous year by 100 per cent. All hell would have broken loose. It would be lead headline in most publications.
Some television stations would scroll the story in their news bar round the clock, for many days. It would be the topic of discussion on morning and evening discussion programs. We would be almost deafened by the cacophony. So-called security experts and social activists would be invited, and they would be pontificating all day.”
Continuing, he wrote, “President Muhammadu Buhari came our way in 2015, promising to secure the country, revive the economy, and fight corruption.
“Rather than encourage him, what some people had been engaged in is sticking a pin into the soft underbelly of the various wars. No plaudits. No bravo. No encouragement. He didn’t do this, he didn’t do that, is all they are interested in.
The economy recorded 3.4% growth last year, the best since 2014, no murmur, no whisper. The anti-corruption war has seen convictions in thousands between 2015 and now, yet, what interests some people is how the war is allegedly selective, even without a scintilla of evidence.
“And when there are strides in the battle against insecurity, their narrative remains the same. Oh, life is nasty, brutish, and short here.
Adesina noted that despite gains being recorded in some critical sectors, “the pessimists have not changed their tongues, nor their minds”.
When you exhibit loud silence about positive developments in your country, and scream blue murder when there are reversals, you are a hypocrite, a hater of your country, and a hater of all that is good. Sad, dolorous, mournful,” he wrote.
