Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has suspended his Special Adviser on Media, Salihu Yakasai, for berating President Buhari on his refusal to address Nigerians on the outrage engendered by the atrocities of Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
Youth in Nigeria had poured into the streets demanding the scrapping of the squad using the hastag #EndSARS.
But in a series of tweets on @dawisu, today, Yakassai had subtly lent his voice to those agitating for the scrap of SARS. He described Buhari as a leader with “zero empathy” for Nigerians for keeping silent in the face of the protests.
The media aide wrote this shortly before the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced the disbandment of SARS in Abuja today.
Yakasai had tweeted, “I have never seen a government with zero empathy like that of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“So many times when his people are going through a difficult time and expect some sort of tap on shoulder to reassure them that he is in charge, but he failed to do so.
“The ‘I don’t care attitude’ is on another level.
“To speak to your own people over issues that are bedevilling them has become something like a favour you are doing to them.
“Over and over again, you cannot spare five minutes to address the nation to calm them down, the same people you went to the 36 states to beg for their votes, it is heartbreaking.”
Reacting in a statement, the Kano State Government described Yakasai’s comments as “unguarded utterances,” noting that his suspension was with immediate effect.
The statement was titled ‘Ganduje Suspends Media Aide Over Attack On Buhari’ and signed by the Commissioner for Information, Muhammed Garba.
The statement released this afternoon, partly read, “Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has suspended his Special Adviser on Media, Salihu Tanko
Yakasai over some unguarded utterances on the person of President Muhammadu Buhari on the social media platform.
“The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who conveyed the governor’s directive in a statement this afternoon, said the suspension is with immediate effect.
“He said that though the media aide has owned up the indiscreet comment as his personal opinion, but that as a public figure, it will be difficult to differentiate between personal opinion and official stand on matters of public concern.
“The governor, therefore, warned political appointees and public servants to guard against making statements capable of drawing unnecessary controversy and heating up the polity.”
Ganduje had sacked the state’s commissioner for works and infrastructure ,Muazu Magaji, for gloating over the death of Abba Kyari, the former chief of staff to Buhari.
No! let Ganduje sue him for blasphemy and sentence him to death. Suspending him will not satisfy his wrath.
When grand fathers are elected or selected as governors they behave like Ganduje, a typical fanatic and busy body. What has the aid said that is not correct. Truth when spoken the way it should be is often very bitter. Their Secret police and Terrorist in SARS uniforms has collapsed. This is just the beginning. The worst they can do now is to push them to the high ways as armed robbers.