No Apology to Nigerians I Described as ‘Wailing Wailers, Says Femi Adesina

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Former Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina has said that he has no apology to render to some Nigerians he described as “Wailing Wailers” while he was in government.

Adesina served as the Spokesperson to former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023.

He disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the pre-book launch media conference ahead of the presentation of two books titled: “Muhammadu Buhari. The Nigerian Legacy (2015-2023), edited by Dr. Udu Yakubu and ” Working With Buhari. Reflections of a Special Adviser Media and Publicity (2015-2023)”, authored by Femi Adesina.

His words: “No fence to mend really. If there was something to mend, we will mend it. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to mend. There is a whole chapter, which I called the Wailing Wailer. That is the title of the chapter.

“How did that appellation come? In the early days of the Buhari administration, you just find out that everything the government did or didn’t do attracted a lot of noise. They thought the more noise they made, the easier they would be heard.

“There was a PDP spokesman then called Oisa Metuh, if it didn’t rain, he would issue a press statement, if it rained too much, he would issue a press statement and all was about Buhari.

“One day I just did a tweet, I said these people, they don’t know they are out of power and they may not get back to power in a long time. I ended that tweet with Wailing Wailer and some people adopted that, they say we are Wailers, he has abused us, so they started calling themselves as Wailing Wailers. If they were the ones who adopted that appellation, what apology do I have? Rather I should accuse them of copyright violation. So, there is no fence to mend.”

Adesina revealed that though he admired Buhari and had been writing in support of his presidential ambition since 2003, but he reluctantly accepted to serve as his media adviser because he was enjoying the position he held the the Managing Director of Sun Newspapers and the President, Nigeria Guild of Editors.

He added: “Why did I think it is necessary to write about Muhammadu Buhari on the saddle for eight years. I will say that I have known president Buhari long before I came to work with and for him as his adviser on media.

“Before then I have not worked with him and I have no desire to work with him. But when the invitation came to work for him, because he was a man I had admired since he was a military leader, I decided to take up the appointment. I also had a moral issue because I had supported him since 2003 when he ran. I did in 2007, 2011 until he won in 2015.

“He had invited me to work with him, I declined because I was the Managing Director of the Sun newspapers and the president Nigeria Guild of Editors and I didn’t want to leave what I was doing because I was enjoying what I was doing then and want to possibly retire quietly.

“I however, reluctantly accepted and I just reflected in the book how I cried the day I resigned because I was stepping into what the military will call cover incognita, the place you don’t know at all.”