Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, has described his principal as “a man beleaguered from all sides.”
He said that a perfect birthday gift for the President today would be for a lot more cynical Nigerians to “understand this President today, rather than tomorrow, for the good of the country.”
According to Adesina, all offensive weapons have been thrown at President Buhari, adding that many people are plotting, and engineering all sorts of artifices, “to ensure Buhari does not succeed. Who loses? The country!”
According to him, the President is a victim of fake news, hate speech, lies, false propaganda, evil thoughts and malediction.
Adesina, in an article he made available to DAILY POST in commemoration of President Buhari’s 78th birthday, said, “show me a man beleaguered from all sides and I’ll show you Muhammadu Buhari.
“Today, everything possible has been thrown at President Buhari, including the kitchen sink.”
Adesina continued, “Anything. Everything. Fake news. Hate speech. Lies. False propaganda. Evil thoughts. Malediction. Odium. Opprobrium. Ogbunigwe. Ogulutu. Surface to air missiles. All offensive weapons. But the man trudges on. Calmly, sedately, peacefully.”
Adesina was of the opinion that many Nigerians do not know his principal who he further described as essential and quintessential patriot and gentleman, adding that if they knew him, they will behave differently and handle him with more care.
The presidential aide said that too many Nigerians have chosen to believe the wrong things about Buhari, but pointed out that those of them who work with the President and study him closely “have a duty to tell what we have seen. And what better day to do it, than on his birthday.”
“Somebody commented that a blitzkrieg has been launched against Buhari and the government he leads, from all quarters,” Adesina noted.
According to the President’s spokeswoman, Nigeria is actually the one suffering when some section of the media, human rights groups, activists, Non-Governmental Organisations, or even terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, attack the President “all at once.”
