Femi Adesina, the former special adviser on media and publicity to late ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, staunchly defended his “senior friend” and boss’ long-time public insinuation that he was a religious bigot.
Adesina spoke during an interview on Channels TV on Sunday, hours after news broke that Buhari had died in a London clinic after a prolonged illness.
The Buhari Adesina knew
Adesina pushed back against criticisms that trailed Buhari’s eight-year administration, painting a picture of a leader who was personally incorruptible and fair to all religions.
“You cannot accuse President Buhari of anything that has the slightest affinity to corruption”, Adesina emphatically said. “I know so many people around him have been accused of corruption, but you cannot link President Buhari to it in any way.”
Adesina also firmly asserted that President Buhari could not be accused of religious bigotry. He recounted that Buhari actively encouraged Christians within his administration to observe their religious holidays and practices, and how the late military general sat through a church service during his (Adesina’s) mother’s burial.
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“Before I worked for him as a special adviser on media and communication, he was my senior friend. To the extent that when my mother passed away in 2013, he came. He sat through the Christian program,” Adesina recalled.
“It was one of the reasons I respected him so dearly. People used to de-market him as such a religious bigot who doesn’t care about any other religion. A bigot couldn’t sit through a church program like he did.
Adesina also reiterated how Buhari didn’t care about what part of the country you come from or what religion you practice before extending a hand of friendship to you.
He recalled how Buhari chose him as his adviser:
“When he was appointing his aides, Governor Kayode Fayemi told me that they took four names to him (Buhari) to pick one as his special adviser on media. He took out a pen from his chest pocket and he circled my name and signed on it. Those are some of the things I’ll never forget about him.”
After Buhari’s death
Shortly after Buhari’s death was announced, President Bola Tinubu ordered that the Nigerian flag be flown at half-mast in honour of the former leader.
Reports say Vice President Kashim Shettima and President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, will escort the remains of Buhari back to Nigeria.
Buhari died at about 4:30 pm in London at the age of 82, after battling a prolonged illness.
