Bashir Abubakar, the Chief Security Officer of President Muhammadu Buhari, has opened up for the first time over his decision to expel a Punch reporter from the State House.
In an internal memo released on Tuesday in Abuja to several presidency officials, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief
Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar has defended his decision to expel a reporter for The Punch, Lekan Adetayo, from the State
House, saying journalists have a
responsibility to be patriotic in reporting matters of national importance.
In the memo which was exclusively revealed by Premium Times, Abubakar detailed
alleged transgressions and ethical concerns observed in Adetayo’s reporting of activities of the State House, and pronounced him
unfit to continue on the beat.
“You may wish to advise the Punch Newspaper that it reserves the right to send a more matured, professional and patriotic
representative that will work in the overall interest of the nation rather than self- serving and parochial interests,” Abubakar,
a former Director of State Security Service in Bayelsa State, said in the April 25 memo, which was also copied to the President and
the Director-General of SSS, Lawal Daura.
Read the CSO’s Letter in Full below;
Reference Number: PRES/CSO/163/A/722.
Date: April 25, 2017.
ACTIVITIES OF THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER STATE
HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: OLALEKAN ADETAYO
1. You may recall that on 13th April, 2017 at the Press Gallery, Presidential Villa, Abuja, an
interactive session between the State House Security Department, led by the Chief Security
Officer (CSO) to the President, C-in-C, and members of the State House Press Corps was held during which it was agreed that
members of the press would conduct themselves professionally and would always be objective in their reports in the best interest of the nation.
2. However, Olalekan Adetayo, the State House correspondent for the Punch Newspaper, in his Saturday column of 22nd April, 2017, titled ‘Seat of powers event centres going into extinction”, reported that currently there has been less or no activity at the seat of power. Adetayo mentioned that
important venues such as Council Chambers, Presidential Banquet Hall and State House Conference Hall have been left empty for a
long time and are all gathering dust.
He also claimed that no event had been held in the Council Chambers in at least the last two months. “Similarly, he claimed not to
have remembered the last time the president received letter of credence from newly posted Ambassadors and High
Commissioners at the Presidential Banquet Hall. “He, however, failed to state whether there had been any instance where a newly
posted diplomat was denied access presenting his letter of credence to the president.
Also, subject mentioned guest house in the Villa, House seven, and claimed that political
meetings were held there by the last administration and faulted that no such meetings have been held there since the inception of this administration. He, therefore, hoped that the proposed law for
unoccupied buildings in Abuja will not affect the buildings in the Presidential Villa, and posited that the development is a sign of the
end of time.
3. Consequently, he was invited by the CSO to explain the motive behind his write up and
another lead story in the Sunday Punch titled ‘Fresh Anxiety in Aso Rock over Buhari’s poor health”. In response, subject accepted
that he was wrong in reporting things that were not true and pleaded for leniency, promising that he will not repeat such
“grievous” mistake.
This he said in the presence of the Chairman of the State House Press Corps, Ubale Musa.
On the lead story in the Sunday publication of the paper, subject stated that he was not
the author of the story but was only asked and pressurised by his editor to get the State House reaction to make up the story
which he did by enquiring from the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Femi
Adesina.
However, when asked to put his explanation and plead into writing, he maintained that
what he wrote in the Saturday column was purely based on his observations.
4. Meanwhile, it would be recalled that Adetayo of all the reporters in the Presidential Villa, he was the only one carrying mischievous news items without
ascertaining his facts, or verifying to be sure of what he was to feed the public. It would be recalled that in 2016, he reported on
several occasions on the non-payment of Risk Caution Allowance (RCA) to security
personnel without balancing his story with the view of the governments.
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