MALLAM Garba Shehu is a frontline journalist, accomplished
newspaper editor and a former president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. His
brilliance and expertise
endeared him to the former government of President
Olusegun Obasanjo, who engaged him as the spokesperson for the Vice President
then. His high qualities again caught the attention of President Muhammadu
Buhari who appointed him as the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity
in 2015 and since then, he has carried on with decorum and high sense of
responsibility. In the Nigerian media circles, Garba Shehu is well respected as
a towering figure from all corners of the country, and indeed, the whole world.
Perhaps his distinguishing feature is his detribalised
disposition to Nigerians from other parts of the country. His contributions to
the growth of journalism in Nigeria has earned him several international
recognitions and he has acquitted himself very well in serving Nigeria.
I have gone this far to eulogise Mallam Shehu to dispel the
wrong impression being created about his distinguished journalism career by a
certain group known as National Volunteers for Lamido. Apparently, they reacted
on behalf of former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido. I write this
article bearing in mind that once an individual throws his hat in the political
ring, he is bound to attract what may be described as ‘erasures’ and the
tendency is that you get all manner of tantrums from some quarters. For the
avoidance of doubt, Garba Shehu has relentlessly discharged his
responsibilities as a spokesman of
President Buhari with unalloyed loyalty, commitment and devotion to his duties.
There is no doubt that in the course of defending the president, he is bound to
attract opposition, but for the Sule Lamido group to resort to barefaced lies,
innuendos and outright insults is unbecoming and totally out of sync with the
tenets of democracy, decency and good conscience. For many Nigerians, Garba
Shehu, a graduate from two prominent Nigerian universities- University of
Nigeria Nsukka and Bayero University Kano, has through his professional
practice, advanced the growth and development of the journalism profession and
indeed, the country’s democracy. His grasp of issues and events is phenomenal,
not to talk of his responses to them. As someone saddled with the task of shaping
the president’s image, he never hesitates to react with facts and figures as
occasion demands and in most instances, he inadvertently incurs the wrath of
some individuals or groups who are directly or indirectly affected. Such
vitriolic attacks against his person are expected and can get worse under an
administration that has elected to tackle the corruption malaise frontally.
Nonetheless, the Buhari administration will not relent as the fight against
corruption was one of the reasons Nigerians voted for President Muhammadu
Buhari, and gladly the results are already manifesting. As observers and even
participants, Nigerians rely on presidential spokespersons like Garba Shehu to
continue to distil government policies and promote the people-centred administration
of President Buhari for the benefit of all Nigerians. But for the emergence of
President Buhari and his officers like Garba Shehu, how would Nigerians have
realised that the country lost such humungous amounts of money to past office
holders and their acolytes? In the course of carrying out these
responsibilities, he is faced with unwarranted and unprovoked insults on his
person, yet these matters ought not to be personal or petty. As expected,
former public officials have a responsibility to render account of their
stewardship, but unfortunately, in the Nigerian context, it can amount to the
vilification of serving government officials- in this case Mallam Garba Shehu.
Garba Shehu has continued to play a pivotal role in promoting the achievements
of the Buhari administration and the feeling among Nigerians is that his
dedication to duty does not go down well with the opposition. His articulation
of government policies, general interpretation and narration to Nigerians
continue to bewilder the opposition. Ordinarily, they would prefer a man
without clarity of thought as Garba Shehu, so that the president’s numerous
achievements will remain unsung and unnoticed. Unfortunately for them, Garba
Shehu has a full grasp of the situation and he is marketing President Buhari to
the satisfaction of the administration and most Nigerians. Just last week,
prominent Nigerians, diplomats, the media and the business community gathered
in Abuja to bear witness to the public presentation of the president’s mid-term
score card which Garba co-edited with Mr. Femi Adesina, President Buhari’s
Special Adviser on media and publicity. Mallam Shehu deserves our accolades and
indeed support for utilising his intellect and expertise for the benefit of the
Buhari administration and by extension, all Nigerians. The practice of running
down a performing government official should be discouraged as it does not
augur well for us as a nation. Such approach has the tendency to discourage
other patriotic Nigerians from offering their services when the need arises.
Aganinst this backdrop, we implore him to trudge on and never look back in
serving the country. His enviable role in promoting the administration of
President Buhari’s administration and helping to build a virile and sustainable
country will not be in vain.
Vanguardngr
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