Adesina to Punch: Calling Buhari Major General is Testimony of Press Freedom

President Muhammadu Buhari in his military days

By Mc Paul

The Presidential Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina has replied Punch Newspaper over an Editorial published by the news media where it resolved to, henceforth, prefix President Muhammadu Buhari as "Major General" and address his administration as a "regime".

In a statement released on Wednesday 11th December, 2019 and signed by Adesina, the Presidential Special Adviser noted that Punch Newspaper would not have addressed the President as a Major General instead of President if there is no freedom of press in Nigeria. He added that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to uphold and preserve free speech and freedom of the press, hence, it won't border itself by whatever prefix is attached to the name of the President or what his administration is tagged.

The Press release, which was titled "Another Testimony to Press Freedom in Nigeria", reads: "A newspaper says it will henceforth address President Muhammadu Buhari by his military rank of Major General. Nothing untoward in it. It is a rank the President attained by dint of hard work before he retired from the Nigerian Army. And today, constitutionally, he’s also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

"All over the world, just as in our country, a large number of retired military officers are now democrats. It does not make those who didn’t pass through military service better democrats than them.

"Rather than being pejorative, addressing President Buhari by his military rank is another testimony to free speech and freedom of the press, which this administration (or regime, if anyone prefers: it’s a matter of semantics) has pledged to uphold and preserve".

Punch Newspaper through an Editorial published on December 11, 2019 said, "As a symbolic demonstration of our protest against autocracy and military-style repression, PUNCH (all our print newspapers, The PUNCH, Saturday PUNCH, Sunday PUNCH, PUNCH Sports Extra, and digital platforms, most especially Punchng.com) will henceforth prefix Buhari’s name with his rank as a military dictator in the 80s, Major General, and refer to his administration as a regime, until they purge themselves of their insufferable contempt for the rule of law."

Femi Adesina reply, however, has insinuated that Punch claims are untrue as the Newspaper could make such claims because of the freedom of the press and free speech being enjoyed in the country under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

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