Buhari Slams Mischief Makers in Phone Call to Media Aide

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Sunday, February 26th, 2017

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Muhammadu Buhari has slammed mischief makers who have been making wild speculations about his health status.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said that during their telephone conversation yesterday afternoon, Buhari commended him for holding out against the mischief makers.

Adesina who said the president’s personal assistant, Tunde Sabiu, called from London added that the president asked about the well being of his (Adesina’s) family.

The presidential spokesman said he was excited over the call and told Mr. President how much he missed him, adding that he did not need the call to know that the president was doing fine.

Nigerians have been asking that the president address them directly to clear the doubts that he was incapable of doing so.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had confirmed that he spoke with Buhari at length discussing security and economic matters.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, had also spoken with the president and visited him in London. The US President, Donald Trump, also spoke with Buhari on telephone.

Buhari was reported to have spoken with the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung and a former head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Adamu Fika. Both men lost their wives recently.

The latest addition to the league of those he has called is the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. The president was said to have called the governor last Wednesday in the middle of a prayer session he organised for the president.

Adesina in a statement said, “At exactly 2.43 p.m today, Saturday, February 25, 2017, my phone rang. Who was at the other end? Tunde Sabiu, Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Hold on for Mr. President,” Tunde said.

And in a matter of seconds, the very familiar voice came:

“Femi, how are you?” (He calls me Adesina most times, but today, he opted for Femi)

I screamed: “Mr President, I have missed you. How are you sir?”

He first laughed. That familiar laugh. Then he said: “I am still resting. Thank you for holding out against mischief makers.”

I said it was my duty, the very least I could do, adding how happy I was to speak with him.

“How is your family?”

I said we were fine, and he asked me to extend his greetings to them.

“I hope to call you again, “ Mr. President said, and I bade him farewell, adding: “Best wishes, sir.”

Adesina described the call as a defining moment for him.

“It was a defining moment for me. For more than a month, I had always spoken with aides who are with the President in London. Not once did I ask them to take the phone to him, deliberately so, because I didn’t need to speak with him to validate the fact that he was alive. And since he was on vacation, he had a right to his privacy.

“Of his own volition, President Buhari spoke with me. It made my day. Even if he hadn’t done so, he would have remained my president, my leader, and my man, any day,” he said./Vanguard