Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, had reacted to his principal’s speech that was leaked on Monday.
He described the person who leaked the speech as the “Enemy of the State” and said he is “already answering questions for his evil action”.
Adesina reacted on Friday through a column, “From the Inside”, which he published on his website, www.femiadesina.com with the title “an Enemy of the State struck in Nigeria on Monday”.
He added that the person is guilty of “sabotage” and did not wish the country well.
The social media and some blogs were stormed with a draft copy of the President’s speech on Monday, a few hours before his address to the country.
The document is filled with typos and other errors but showed some similarities with what the President later read.
However, the major difference between the draft copy and what was read, was that the draft copy stated that the lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun will be lifted on Saturday, May 2.
But in Buhari read later in the evening, the gradual easing of the lockdown in the three places would be effective from Monday, May 4.
Part of the statement read, “I took a look at the circulating document, and within one minute, I knew that it was a rogue copy.
“I made a few phone calls to those of us involved with the script, right from origination, which was from outside the Presidency, to final editing, which I did, and the conclusion was easy to reach.
“Who would do such a thing, except an Enemy of the State, someone who wants to ridicule the government?
“But he forgot that in these days of technology, almost everything leaves a trail. Before the end of that evening, computer evidence had narrowed down the suspect, and he was already answering for his evil action.”
Mr. Femi Adesina lamented that some media houses (not West African Pilot News) were a casualty of the “sinister” motive of the person by publishing the “May 2” as against “May 4” that was announced by the President in his broadcast.
“There is a way we release information from the media office of the President. And the media knows it. If a presidential speech was to be given ahead, there would be an embargo on it for a particular time. The circulating copy bore no embargo, yet they fell for it and got embarrassed by publishing inaccurate information,” he wrote.
