Lawan’s media aide reacts as outcry forces Senate president to sack him

A famous Nigerian columnist, Festus Adedayo, has reacted to Senate President Ahmad Lawan’s decision to withdraw appointing him (Adedayo) as his media aide.

Adedayo said despite the development that Lawan will ever remain his model of a good Nigerian.

Lawan had earlier in the week appointed Adedayo as his special adviser on media and publicity.

However, following serious public outcry that followed the appointment, Lawan on Thursday in a statement by his special assistant on media and publicity, Mohammed Isa, withdrew the appointment.

Adedayo is accused of being an ardent critic of President Muhammadu Buhari and other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders.

Ahmed said in a statement by his special assistant on media and publicity, Mohammed Isa, that “The office of the President of the Senate has reviewed the appointment of Dr Festus Adedayo as Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate and decided to rescind its decision on the appointment.”

The statement wished Adedayo the best in his future endeavours.

But responding in a statement after the news of his sack, Adedayo wrote:

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.

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“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 themselves.

“More fundamentally is that my pen knows no friend or foe. Very early in my writing career, I learnt that I could go far in the people’s heart if I sided with the public against government. This was abetted by my philosophy degree background which teaches me to always look for disorder, even in order. I am a natural pessimist and see pessimism in optimism. Anyone who does a critical assessment of my journey as a columnist will see this without any equivocation.”

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