Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina’s assertion that “some Nigerians have made it a pastime to pester and attempt to browbeat the President” has attracted criticism on social media.
The presidential aide made the assertion in his weekly ‘From The Inside…Fridays with Femi Adesina’ column.
Adesina said some journalists “harried and harassed” him last Sunday over claims that the president’s health worsened after he returned from a medical trip to London on Thursday, April 15.
“I wondered where the falsity was coming from. But patiently, I tried to respond to the enquiries, reasoning with the callers that the President came back to the country early Thursday evening, in the full glare of Nigerians.
“He even granted an interview at the airport, saying his routine medical checks went well.
“On Friday, he was in the office, and equally attended the Jumat service. Saturday was for rest and time with the family.
“So from where did the pernicious rumour start on Sunday? From evil-hearted people, who never love to see or hear any form of good. They are people who spend their days expecting the storm, and so they never enjoy the rainfall.
“From day one in office, they have hounded and hectored the President, but God simply laughs them to scorn. Who is man that says anything and it comes to pass, when God has not said so?”
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Adesina added, “Some Nigerians have made it a pastime to pester and attempt to browbeat the President. I laugh.
“They don’t know the person they are dealing with. A cool customer. Never flustered,harried or disconcerted.
“He simply focuses on what he is doing, ignoring the noise of the market.
“Kick like a dying horse, shout yourselves hoarse, curse, murmur like a ghost, hiss like a snake, President Buhari keeps his eyes on the ball.
“It’s a big lesson to learn from him. When you are in the market, ignore the din, and concentrate on the person you are transacting business with.”
However, many critics said that Adesina had only succeeded in casting President Buhari as uninterested in the plight of hapless Nigerians.
A Nairaland user, @Playmaker14 wrote, “Dear Femi Adesina, it is actually useless to curse a dead man. Your boss is dead to Nigerians, it’s of no use heaping more curse on him.”
Another user, @Larrydis wrote, “We know he does not care about anything except terrorist and cows.”
@DefHQ wrote, “We all know he is deaf..he only hears when it concerns cows.”
@Omooba77 wrote, “People like Femi are only adding fuel to the fire. I pray he doesnt end like Joseph Goebbels!”
@Agbegbaorogboye wrote, “Femi is becoming annoyingly tone-deaf. You mean the president can do what he wants, how he wants, when he wants?
“What happened to “I belong to everybody”?
“It’s obvious these are the sycophants who are beating the drums into his ears that he’s a good dancers and have led him to be deaf to the boos of the crowd.
“Maybe it’s the “I belong to nobody” part that remains now.”