Salihu Yakasai, Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Media, has been suspended with immediate effect for criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari.
Yakassi had earlier come for President Buhari for not addressing Nigerians amid the national outrage as well as days of online and offline protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
Yakasai said in part: I’ve never seen a govt with zero empathy like that of Muhammadu Buhari.
“So many times when his people are going through a difficult time and expect some sort of tap on the 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.
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.”
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The media aide made the statement despite the fact that his principal Abdullahi Ganduje belongs to the same party as the president.
However, the Kano State Government responded to Yakasai’s statement with a suspension letter which takes effect immediately.
The letter from Kano State Government described Yakasai’s comments as “unguarded utterances”.
The letter was titled ‘Ganduje Suspends Media Aide Over Attack On Buhari’ and signed by the Commissioner for Information, Muhammed Garba.
The statement released on Sunday 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.”
