Shehu Garba misses Buhari’s call, gets SMS

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu has missed out on the list of people the president has called from his medical sojourn in London.

The media adviser, who made this known on his facebook page, also revealed that the President also put a call through to the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

He stated that although he missed the president’s call, he however got a text message from Buhari.

He said, “A day for the Presidential Media Team.

We are thankful to the President, Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for sparing the time to make calls to the Media team.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and the Special Adviser, Femi Adesina responded to the calls, exchanged greetings and thanked him for calling.

I had an SMS from him thereafter because I missed my call! I humbly join them to say thank you, Baba Buhari!!

We are together with other Nigerians of all faiths, in praying for his safe return”.

Mr Adesina had also shared his conversation with the president on his facebook handle as well, in which he said the president told him to greet his family, and also thanked him for holding out against mischief makers.

Adesina wrote: “At exactly 2.43 p.m today, Saturday, February 25, 2017, my phone rang. Who was at the other end? Tunde Sabiu, personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Hold on for Mr President,” Tunde said.

And in a matter of seconds, the very familiar voice came:

Read also: Buhari speaks with Adesina, says ‘greet your family’

“Femi, how are you?” (He calls me Adesina most times, but today, he opted for Femi)

I screamed :”Mr President, I have missed you. How are you sir?”

He first laughed. That familiar laugh. Then he said: “I am still resting. Thank you for holding out against mischief makers.”

I said it was my duty, the very least I could do, adding how happy I was to speak with him.
“How is your family?”

I said we were fine, and he asked me to extend his greetings to them.

“I hope to call you again, ” Mr President said, and I bade him farewell, adding: “Best wishes, sir.”

It was a defining moment for me. For more than a month, I had always spoken with aides who are with the President in London. Not once did I ask them to take the phone to him, deliberately so, because I didn’t need to speak with him to validate the fact that he was alive. And since he was on vacation, he had a right to his privacy.

Of his own volition, President Buhari spoke with me. It made my day. Even if he hadn’t done so, he would have remained my President, my leader, and my man. Any day.

The president left Nigeria on January 19, handing over to the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo. He wrote to the National Assembly that he was embarking on vacation, and would be back in ten days.

He however transmitted another letter to the legislature on the eve of his expected resumption, noting that he would extend the vacation, as he was expecting the results of some medical tests he undertook.

In the phonecalls he has made to some Nigerians, he affirms that he is alright and that he needs time to rest, assuring that there is no cause for worry.

 

 

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