…..As Adebayo open up on his appointment termination
First Lady Hajia Aisha Buhari has declared her support for the withdrawal of the appointment of Tribune Newspaper columnist and notable government critic, Festus Adedayo as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan.
Hajia Buhari showed her opposition to Adedayo’s appointment on her Tweeter handle @aishambuhari today.
She says: “You cannot drive an agenda with people who don’t believe in that agenda… how will you achieve your purpose if you bring in people who fought against your agenda.”
Lawan’s withdrawal of Adedayo’s appointment is contained in a statement issued today by the Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Mohammed Isa.
The statement says, “The office of the President of the Senate has reviewed the appointment of Mr Festus Adedayo as Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate and decided to rescind its decision on the appointment, and wishes Mr Adebayo the best in his future endeavours.”
Reacting via a statement, Adedayo said he would continue to speak the truth to power no matter whose ox is gored.
“Of a truth, I am a venomous critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, with no apologies. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Adams Oshiomhole, Ibikunle Amosu, Bukola Saraki and several others have been on the receiving end of the unkind temper of my pen,” he said.
“What those who are vilifying me for always writing against government should have done was to rise from their laziness and conduct an x-ray of my writing. In my close to 20 years of public sphere intervention …I believe that government should reflect the highest moral echelon of society and those who run it should make covenant of chastity and fidelity with themselves.”
He said he had no space in his heart to bear grudges against those who made him lose the job.
Adedayo added that the senate president “will be my model of a good Nigerian forever” and that “Nigerian politicians had a lot to learn from that gentleman and his politics of blindness to tribe and political party affiliation”.
Below is the statement:
I was just informed a few minutes ago of the withdrawal of the appointment offered me as the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Nigerian Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan. I had hitherto enjoyed every of the diatribes provoked by the appointment. I was told it was the most discussed issue in Nigeria in the last few days. Of course, it was not humanly possible for me to read the over 5000 tweets and thousands of comments on other social media. As at the time of writing this, the issue was said to be the most-discussed in Nigeria on the social media. Said to be the brainchild of some hired Rottweiler dogs loyal to some lords in the APC, a campaign dubbed #sackfestus adedayowas mounted immediately and within hours, had given birth to thousands of recruits. Many of the commentators who took liberty to harangue me have no idea of who I am and went on a railroaded binge to dress me in an alien robe.
Of a truth, I am a venomous critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, with no apologies. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Adams Oshiomhole, Ibikunle Amosu, Bukola Saraki and several others have been on the receiving end of the unkind temper of my pen. But call my attention to five pieces I did in dispraise of Tinubu, I will call yours to the three I did in his praise, at very grave danger to my life and career, even though Tinubu can’t pick me up in a crowd. Someday when he and I meet, I hope to tell him the consequential bullet I once bit for his sake. Since 1998 when I began column-writing, I have a graveyard of public personalities whom my cudgel has whiplashed for perceived infractions in power. Give me 10 pieces I wrote in uncomplimentary review of President Buhari, I will give you 20 I did in utter vilification of Jonathan, his ministers and those close to him. Jonathan never raised a voice against me. One thing my traducers don’t know is that I have no attachment to those criticisms. I am like a prophet; once I deliver my message, I move on.
What those who are vilifying me for always writing against government should have done was to rise from their laziness and conduct an x-ray of my writing. In my close to 20 years of public sphere intervention, I am a rabid anti-establishment person. I believe that in establishment lies the plague of the Nigerian state and my writings reflect this much. Even though I am everything but a saint, I believe that government should reflect the highest moral echelon of society and those who run it should make covenant of chastity and fidelity with But reacting via a statement, Adedayo said he would continue to speak the truth to power no matter whose ox is gored.
