Garba Shehu Archives - SocietyGazette.com

Garba Shehu, other presidential aides test positive for COVID-19

Indications emerged at the weekend that COVID-19 has crept into the Nigerian Presidential Villa, Abuja, allegedly afflicting some Presidential aides and State House officials.

A number of close aides of President Muhammadu Buhari were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and reportedly asked to self-isolate while taking treatment.

Among those diagnosed with the infection after PCR test results were released are the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu; the Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; and Chief Security Officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa.

Confirming his health status to The Nation on Saturday evening, Shehu said he had been diagnosed with the infection and had been advised to self-isolate, an instruction which he said he was heeding, even as he has been taking his prescribed medication.

He, however, said he had no confirmation about the diagnosis for the other persons mentioned by the online newspaper as being diagnosed with the virus and removed for quarantine.

“Have you read the Premium Times report? What I said in it is the truth to the best of my knowledge; what is true is that I know about myself that I’m self-isolating and taking my medication, but I know of no other case”, Shehu said.

The report also claimed that the Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as well as the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Alhaji Tijani Umar, were also diagnosed with the infection.

However, both the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Mohammed, and the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Umar, have been seen in the Villa on Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, it should be pointed out that testing for COVID-19 had recently been ramped up in the Presidential Villa in the wake of the Omicron variant to ensure the containment of the virus.

Garba Shehu, a pitiable messenger who doesn’t know his limits —Gov Akeredolu

The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday, faulted the position of the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, on the ban of open grazing by governors from the Southern part of the country.

Shehu had in a statement on Monday described the resolutions of the 17 southern governors at their May 11 meeting in Asaba, Delta, as illegal.

But in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, the governor insisted that the presidential aide was not speaking for President Muhammadu Buhari on the ban on open grazing.

He said: “Anyone who has been following the utterances of this man, as well as his fellow travellers on the self-deluding, mendacious but potentially dangerous itinerary to anarchy, cannot but conclude that he works assiduously for extraneous interests whose game plan stands at variance with the expectations of genuine lovers of peaceful coexistence among all the people whose ethnic extractions are indigenous to Nigeria.

“Mr. Garba Shehu must disclose, this day, the real motive(s) of those he serves, definitely not the President. He cannot continue to hide under some opaque, omnibus, and dubious directives to create confusion in the polity.

“The easy recourse to mendacious uppity in pushing a barely disguised pernicious agendum is well understood.

“The declaration that the recommendations of the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, a mere political appointee like Garba Shehu, are now the ‘lasting solutions’ which eluded all the elected representatives of the people of the Southern part of the country, exposes this man as a pitiable messenger who does not seem to understand the limits of his relevance and charge.

“Mr. Garba Shehu contends that ‘their announcement is of questionable legality,’ referring to the 17 Governors of the Southern States, but the decision of certain elements to take the ancestral lands of other people to settle their kinsmen, including the ‘gun-wielding killer herdsmen’ and their families, and provide ‘veterinary clinics, water points for animals, and facilities for herders and their families including schooling through these rehabilitated reserves for which the Federal Government is making far-reaching and practical changes allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side’ does not appear to him as a comprehensive plan for land grabbing, a precursor to internal colonialism.

“He wants to ‘revive forest reserves’ but seems particularly uninterested in the current position of the same law, that he and his cohorts often misinterpret to serve parochialism and greed.

“Governors no longer have powers over the lands in their territories. They must take instructions from appointees of the Federal Government on such matters.

“It is superfluous, and that is being charitable, for anyone to remind us of the constitutional right of bona fide citizens to enjoy rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 States (and FCT) -regardless of their state of birth and residence.”

I’m disappointed Ortom is blaming me for Benue killings – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is disappointed he is receiving the blame for the recent attacks in Benue state.

Following a series of killings in the state by gunmen, Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, had call for the urgent intervention of the federal government.

About 11 soldiers, who were on peace keeping task, were recently killed in the state.

Ortom had also asked the president to rise up and address the nation since he took an oath of office to secure and protect lives and property.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokerson, in a statement on Thursday, said Buhari is pained by the killings, but sad that the governor will blame the attacks on the president.

“He also states his disappointment and sadness to hear Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State, make a litany of accusations against his person and his government following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state,” the statement reads.

“No responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced People’s camp.

“President Buhari is deeply pained by the terrible acts of violence happening not only in Benue State but also in other parts of the country and expects that the law enforcement agencies will go to every possible extent to catch the perpetrators of these heinous acts and bring them to justice.

“The lives of fellow citizens should not be desecrated by deploying them in political diatribe which unfortunately appeared to be the intent of the string of emotional attacks and blame laid at the doors of the President for those killings by Governor Ortom.

“President Buhari took an oath to defend the life and property of every citizen, a duty he takes seriously and is committed to ensuring.

“Those citizens, regardless of their affiliations, who either incite, sponsor or are proven to be abettors of these atrocities will face the law squarely and be answerable for their crimes against our fellow citizens and nation.”

He said while the president will continue to keep security agencies on their toes, there is a need for cooperation to promote peace.

He said Benue, under the Ortom administration, ought to cooperate with the federal government in the implementation of a number of national programmes to address the underlying issues affecting peace, progress and development.

Buhari, therefore, urged the governor to place the welfare of the people above all other interests.

Cleric Chides Garba Shehu, Warn Gov. Hope Uzodinma

The leader of INRI evangelical spiritual church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has released a strong message for the governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodinma regarding the unfortunate events that has been happening in Imo state for some time.

We recall that yesterday, the country home of the governor was attacked and razed by fire, with properties and vehicles getting burnt to ashes.

Primate Ayodele in a live session revealed that Governor Hope Uzodinma is being fought by forces of Imo land and that they want to ensure the state is ungovernable for him.

The man of God made it known that this is happening because Hope Uzodinma became governor in a wrong way, and that he is not meant to be governor of the state, hence, the coming together of forces to fight him.

He however stated that the solution for peace to return to Imo state is returning Emeka Ihedioha as governor of the state, if not, the forces will continue to attack.

‘’ It’s unfortunate that this happened to Hope Uzodinma who has been working well to see that everything goes well in his state.

The fact is the forces are fighting the governor and that is why the state is being ungovernable for him. There is a conspiracy in his government and the forces of the land are fighting him. This happens when something that doesn’t belong to you is given to you; forces will come together to fight you, forces are fighting him, let them do what is right by restoring Emeka Iheadioha back as governor of the state for peace to reign’’

Also, the man of God blasted the SSA On media to President Buhari, Garba Shehu for his comments on Isa Pantami’s travails.

Garba Shehu had said that Isa Pantami, a minister of communications was young when he made some statements that encouraged terrorism, and that he has changed his orientation now.

Also, he compared the situation of Isa Pantami to that of Kemi Adeosun who resigned due to some discrepancies in her NYSC ceritificate. The presidential aide noted that Kemi Adeosun’s case is higher than Isa Pantami’s.

Primate Ayodele in his reaction maintained that Garba Shehu is one of the people misleading this government, and that he needs to think deeply before saying anything.

‘Garba shehu is one of the people misleading Buhari’s government, I am not sure he thinks very deeply before commenting on issues, Kemi Adeosun’s case doesn’t even warrant resignation because it was not totally her fault, but she willingly resigned because she is a woman of integrity, honour and note when she discovered that her certificates are not in order

But what Pantami has done is related to terrorism, it involved terrorist groups, its shameful, he doesn’t even need to say anything, the first thing is to resign before anything if he is an honorable person, this position they are dragging is just for the main time, why stain yourself forever for a post that won’t exceed eight years? Garba shehu also needs to be investigated for supporting Isa Pantami in such way, With Isa Pantami in this cabinet, it’s a disgrace to Nigeria, this will cause chaos, conspiracy in his government, why must he still be there, on what account? Are they serving the nation or their pocket? Someone who is serving the nation will leave with honour and not wait till anyone to molest him because as it is now, he has been molested by this act. This also berates out DSS, Senators who did screening for him’’

Furthermore, He adviced the government to beef up the security in nigerian universities because the terrorists are everywhere in the country.