‘Partner with Buhari’

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has called for increased collaboration between the Muhammadu Buhari administration and the media to “build a new country”.

Adesina made the call at the formal presentation of ‘Nigerian Media Leaders: Voices Beyond the Newsroom,’ a book of conversations with media leaders authored by Richard Ikiebe of the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University.

He said, “Fortuitously, this book is being presented at a watershed time in the history of the country. The no-nonsense former military ruler, who had enacted Decree 4, meant to gag and shackle the press in the performance of its legitimate duties, is now a converted democrat, and champion of freedom of that same press, seeing the institution as a vital building block in national development.

“Instead of an adversary, President Muhammadu Buhari has turned full circle to see the media as allies, critical partners in the quest to build a worthy new Nigeria.”

The presidential aide therefore sought “a middle of the road policy, in which both institutions collaborate for the good and development of our country rather than an adversarial relationship.” He also decried a situation where the media pursues the government “as something to be harassed, hounded and hunted down.”

Adesina said the Nigerian media needed to collaborate and support the Buhari government because 30 years after he persecuted the press as a military head of state, Buhari had changed.

“The President is now in a democratic mode and has asked for the right hand of fellowship of the media,” he said.