According to Sahara reporters, former presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina revealed in his book, “Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity (2015-2023),” that Abba Kyari, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, obstructed his access to the president and funding for five years until Kyari’s death.
Adesina, reflecting his poor relationship with Kyari, detailed occasions in the book in which Kyari purposefully impeded him from contacting the President and hampered financial support for the presidential media office.
This crisis appears to have started with Adesina’s appointment at the Aso Rock Villa, when Kyari refused to provide him unrestricted access to the President despite Buhari’s directions.
He narrated an incident in June 2015 when he submitted a memo recommending staff for the Media Department, which Kyari deliberately neglected for a year, confessing to Garba Shehu that he ignored it because Adesina had submitted it directly to the President.
Adesina also detailed challenges with securing funds for the Media Department, as there was no budget line. Despite consulting with predecessors Reuben Abati and Ima Niboro, he operated for five years without financial support.
When the National Security Adviser (NSA) was appointed and Adesina briefed him on media funding, the President directed that nothing except security should be funded from the NSA’s office, rendering Adesina’s previous discussions void.
After encountering roadblocks while attempting to meet with the President, Adesina sought clarification, discovering that Kyari was the obstacle. Kyari emphatically rejected the idea of funding the media from his office, and Adesina left without further engagement with the President. It took three months before the media received any funding, initiated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
Adesina also recounted an incident where Kyari reprimanded him for securing an appointment for a retired General to see the President. Despite the President’s earlier directive to Adesina to seek him whenever necessary, Kyari opposed his actions and accused him of going behind him to relate with the President.
In the book, Adesina clarified that while their relationship was not adversarial, they were not particularly close either. The revelations shed light on the dynamics and challenges within the presidential team during Buhari’s tenure.
