Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president
on media and publicity, says no chief of staff who
creates hurdles for the president “will survive the next
day”.
He said this in response to some allegations leveled
against Abba Kyari, chief of staff to President
Muhammadu Buhari.
He described the allegations as an indirect attempt to
rubbish the successes recorded by the Buhari
administration.
“A careful assessment of some these allegations with
a rational mind will show that there is an orchestrated
campaign to smear the CoS and indirectly the
president,” he said.
“If I can speculate on the matter, I will say that the
problem Malam Abba Kyari has with most people is
that he, like the president he serves, will not throw
money at people in order to please them.
“No chief of staff, including this one, can create hurdles
for a president and survive the next day.
“As CoS, malam has refused to keep cash imprest and
has turned down a monthly grant of N200 million
customarily given to the office.
“This is money freely spent because they were not
required to account for what they did with it.”
Shehu also denied the allegation that a cabal tried to
control Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo when the
president was away on the medical vacation.
“As acting president, Vice-President Osinbajo enjoyed
the support of the villa staff and the entire cabinet.
Otherwise, he would not have succeeded and earn the
praises of the president,” he said.
Shehu also dismissed the reports that Buhari was
being manipulated by a cabal in the presidential villa.
“It is difficult to understand what anyone wants to
achieve peddling such falsehood that the president,
himself a former military general and head of state and
commander-in-chief is subject to undue influence and
manipulation,” he said.
“It is both ridiculous and inconceivable.
“As someone who works very closely with President
Buhari, I can testify to how my years of experience as
a newspaper editor are often put to the test by the
sheer thoroughness with which the President edits
every single document brought to his desk.
“Every memo, statement, speech, is subject to his
intense scrutiny, right down to the placement of
commas and full stops.
“But, of course, the president cannot do everything. He
cannot micromanage every task.
“That is why he needs close officials, whom he trusts,
who will be willing to offend others in the process of
ensuring his own safety and well-being, and the
advancement of his vision for Nigeria.”
TheCable
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