Former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has affirmed that his ex-principal, former President Muhammadu Buhari, is not a bigot, refuting claims of religious prejudice against the retired military general.
Adesina shared his perspective on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ program on Tuesday, following the launch of his book in Abuja, titled ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity (2015-2023).’ The book launch was attended by Buhari, President Bola Tinubu, ex-Head of State Yakubu Gowon, and various dignitaries.
Discussing the motivation behind his book, Adesina explained, “A lot of people have different perspectives, different narratives about President Muhammadu Buhari depending on what they think they know and what they think they were exposed to about him. That’s why I thought the book was necessary so that they would know the real and the true Muhammadu Buhari.”
When asked to characterize the Buhari he knows, Adesina described him as a patriot who loves Nigeria dearly, a fair-minded man, and dismissed allegations of nepotism and bigotry.
He stated, “Those who call him nepotist, those who call him bigot don’t know him, a man who will never seek to impose his own religion on you and will respect your own religion.”
Adesina shared a personal anecdote from his book, recounting an instance when Buhari, not yet President, attended a Christian program in Lagos to support him after his mother’s death in 2013.
He emphasized, “Yet, some people will say he is a religious bigot. A bigot will never enter a worship house that is not his own religion. And they say he is a nepotist, I have never seen it.”