IN DEFENCE OF KULIKULI

Over the last couple of weeks, I attended a number of high profile awards shows. Some were memorable while others were forgettable.

Apart from the usual banter with colleagues, it also exposed me to a barrage of probing questions from people who follow my analysis on radio and TV, and my updates on social media, especially those meeting me in person for the first time.

The common thread is the same: The performance of the media team of the president, especially his SA,Media, Femi Adesina, since PMB proceeded on his extensive medical vacation, and their conclusion remains that the team has failed.

Now, while I cannot speak for Mallam Garba Sheu, whose penchant for the hyperbole belie his very successful journalism career. I can speak for Femi Adesina a.k.a kulikuli.

I used to feel the same way, until I heard him say on national television that he has no direct access to his boss! And that he relies solely on trusted aides/family members who told him the president is well, hail and earthy.

From that moment of unbridled honesty, the SA Media could do no wrong. He had not only admitted he relays second hand information, he also accepted that as a messenger, he could only do what he was directed by his employer, that level of self analysis and acceptance of his limitations won me over.

Since then, I stopped writing about the president.

The country is moving on in his absence. Inflation is still galloping, poverty still ravages the land, but for the first time in two years, there is a general feeling that we have a government.

And while this may be a product of style over substance, it is also an acknowledgement that Nigeria is bigger than anybody, and that our fate is not tied to the health status of one man. Who, in fairness, as done the needful by handing over properly while he will be away.

So, please cut Mr. FemiAdesina some slack. He has been open and honest beyond the call of duty, and while there are still grey areas, he has done his best under the circumstances.

My Ten Kobo