President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar has defended his decision to expel a reporter for The Punch from the State House, saying journalists have a responsibility to be patriotic in reporting matters of national importance.

In an internal memo he distributed Tuesday to several presidency officials, including Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Abubakar detailed alleged transgressions and ethical concerns observed in Lekan Adetayo’s reporting of activities of the State House, and pronounced him unfit to continue on the beat.

“You may wish to advise the Punch Newspaper that it reserves the right to send a more matured, professional and patriotic representative that will work in the overall interest of the nation rather than self-serving and parochial interests", Mr. Abubakar, a former Director of State Security Service in Bayelsa State, said in the April 25 memo, which was also copied to the President and Director-General of SSS, Lawal Daura.

Abubakar’s memo, obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, went out a day after he withdrew Mr. Adetayo’s accreditation, drawing nationwide condemnation and renewed allegations of media suppression against the federal government.

The Punch slammed Mr. Abubakar for humiliating its reporter in a statement Tuesday, describing the expulsion as “unwarranted”, “unjustified” and “condemnable”.

The paper asked the presidency to formally rebuke the CSO, and demanded apology as a precondition for its reporter’s return to the State House.

“In this dispensation, vindictive and overbearing security operatives, like Abubakar, ought to bear three things in mind as they carry out their duties.

“One, Nigeria is a democracy, the martial antecedents of its current president notwithstanding.

“Two, those who hold positions of authority do so at the pleasure of the public.

“Three, public servants, no matter how influential, are mere tenants in the corridors of power,” The Punch said.

Mr. Abubakar highlighted some of Mr. Adetayo’s stories he found problematic in his correspondence to presidency officials.

“Olalekan Adetayo, State House correspondent for the Punch Newspapers, in his Saturday column of April 22, 2017, titled: “Seat of powers event centres going into extinction,” reported that currently there have been less or no activity at the seat of power. Adetayo mentioned that important venues such as Council Chambers, Presidential Banquet Hall and State House Conference Hall have been left empty for a long time and are all gathering dust.

“He also claimed that no event had been held in the Council Chambers in at least the last two months.

“Similarly, he claimed not to have remembered the last time the president received letter of credence from newly posted Ambassadors and High Commissioners at the Presidential Banquet Hall.

“He, however, failed to state whether there had been any instance where a newly posted diplomat was denied access presenting his letter of credence to the president.

“Also, subject (Mr. Adetayo) mentioned Guest House in the Villa, House Seven, and claimed that political meetings were held there by the last administration and faulted that no such meetings have been held there since the inception of this administration.

“He, therefore, hoped that the proposed law for unoccupied buildings in Abuja will not affect the buildings in the Presidential Villa, and posited that the development is a sign of the end of time", Mr. Abubakar said.

The CSO also raised concerns over a story about alleged cover-up of President Buhari’s health situation, which The Punch led with on Sunday.

The report said some State House staffers were allegedly growing increasingly sceptical about the president’s ill-health, especially as he had been rarely sighted in public since he returned to the country from a 50-day medical vacation on March 10.

The report suggested that the president’s fragile health might have prevented him from meeting some of his top officials, including ministers, adding that most of the duties in the presidency had been passed to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Mr. Abubakar said the stories were not true and that Mr. Adetayo allegedly denied authorship of the story on the president’s ill-health, owned up to wrongdoings about his limited contribution and “pleaded for leniency, promising that he will not repeat such ‘grievous’ mistake.”

“On the lead story in the Sunday publication of the paper, subject stated that he was not the author of the story but was only asked and pressurised by his editor to get the State House reaction to make up the story which he did by enquiring from the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Femi Adesina.

“However, when asked to put his explanation and plea into writing, he maintained that what he wrote on the Satrurday column was based on his observations", Mr. Abubakar said.

The CSO said he met Mr. Adetayo on Monday in the presence of the chairman of the State House Press Corps, Ubale Musa.

Mr. Musa, a Deutsche Welle reporter who was himself ejected from the State House in the last days of the Jonathan administration, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Adetayo verbally apologised, but that he was not privy to the content of his colleague’s written statement to the CSO when asked if he, indeed, denied authorship of the Sunday story.

“I don’t know what he wrote in his statement,” Mr. Musa said. “I only know he apologised.”

Mr. Abubakar also accused Mr. Adetayo of reporting on security personnel allowances and accidental discharge in the State House with little attempt to balance and get the facts of the stories.

“All these were reeled out with the mischeivous intent especially as he championed the stories inspite of being cautioned and advised by his colleagues as well as the chairman of the State House Press Corps to be circumspect and objective in his reportage", Mr. Abubakar stated.

“Aggregating the foregoing and the interactions with the reporter smack of irresponsibility and mischief as Adetayo’s stories in Saturday column of the Punch Newspaper of April 22, 2017, lacked objectivity which is one of the cardinal principles of journalism.

“Similarly, his belligerence and non-repentance on his ways suggest his desperation to satisfy some subterranean interests of certain individuals who are bent on undermining the government.

“In view therefore, Olalekan Adetayo is deemed to have lost the privilege of representing his media outfit in the State House.

“You may wish to advise the Punch Newspaper that it reserves the right to send a more matured, professional and patriotic representative that will work in the overall interest of the nation rather than self-serving and parochial interests", Mr. Abubakar said.

PREMIUM TIMES’ efforts to get Mr. Adetayo’s reaction on all the allegations failed throughout Wednesday.

The reporter said he had detailed all he knew about his encounter with the CSO in a piece for his newspaper on Tuesday.

But in his account, Mr. Adetayo did not address claims that he apologised or denied authorship of the story or begged for leniency.

No official of The Punch was available for comments on Mr. Abubakar’s memo throughout Monday.

Contacted, Mr. Adesina said he would not confirm or deny receiving any such memo from the CSO.

“As far as we are concerned, we have closed the issue and we are not talking about it any longer.

The CSO, Mr. Abubakar, declined to speak with PREMIUM TIMES on his memo, warning the paper not to publish his confidential internal communication with other presidency officials.

READ THE CSO’s FULL LETTER BELOW.

Reference Number: PRES/CSO/163/A/722.

Date: April 25, 2017.

ACTIVITIES OF THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER STATE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: OLALEKAN ADETAYO

1. You may recall that on 13th April, 2017 at the Press Gallery, Presidential Villa, Abuja, an interactive session between the State House Security Department, led by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the President, C-in-C, and members of the State House Press Corps was held during which it was agreed that members of the press would conduct themselves professionally and would always be objective in their reports in the best interest of the nation.

2. However, Olalekan Adetayo, the State House correspondent for the Punch Newspaper, in his Saturday column of 22nd April, 2017, titled ‘Seat of powers event centres going into extinction”, reported that currently there has been less or no activity at the seat of power. Adetayo mentioned that important venues such as Council Chambers, Presidential Banquet Hall and State House Conference Hall have been left empty for a long time and are all gathering dust.

He also claimed that no event had been held in the Council Chambers in at least the last two months. “Similarly, he claimed not to have remembered the last time the president received letter of credence from newly posted Ambassadors and High Commissioners at the Presidential Banquet Hall. “He, however, failed to state whether there had been any instance where a newly posted diplomat was denied access presenting his letter of credence to the president.

Also, subject mentioned guest house in the Villa, House seven, and claimed that political meetings were held there by the last administration and faulted that no such meetings have been held there since the inception of this administration. He, therefore, hoped that the proposed law for unoccupied buildings in Abuja will not affect the buildings in the Presidential Villa, and posited that the development is a sign of the end of time.

3. Consequently, he was invited by the CSO to explain the motive behind his write up and another lead story in the Sunday Punch titled ‘Fresh Anxiety in Aso Rock over Buhari’s poor health”. In response, subject accepted that he was wrong in reporting things that were not true and pleaded for leniency, promising that he will not repeat such “grievous” mistake.

This he said in the presence of the Chairman of the State House Press Corps, Ubale Musa. On the lead story in the Sunday publication of the paper, subject stated that he was not the author of the story but was only asked and pressurised by his editor to get the State House reaction to make up the story which he did by enquiring from the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Femi Adesina.

However, when asked to put his explanation and plead into writing, he maintained that what he wrote in the Saturday column was purely based on his observations.

4. Meanwhile, it would be recalled that Adetayo of all the reporters in the Presidential Villa, he was the only one carrying mischievous news items without ascertaining his facts, or verifying to be sure of what he was to feed the public. It would be recalled that in 2016, he reported on several occasions on the non-payment of Risk Caution Allowance (RCA) to security personnel without balancing his story with the view of the government’s side. He featured this story several times. He also wrongly reported incidences of “accidental discharge” without getting details to understand what actually transpired.

All these were reeled out with the mischievous intent especially as he championed the stories in spite of being cautioned and advised by his colleagues as well as the chairman of the State House Press Corps to be circumspect and objective in his reportage.

5. Arising from the above, the CSO, C-in-C summoned him in the presence of the chairman and counselled him on the need to be patriotic, objective and honest in his reports as he has, live every citizen and indeed journalist, a responsibility to safeguard and protect this country from anything that could threaten the security of the nation. He appreciated and promised to adhere to the ethics of his profesion and partner with the security department to ensure peace and stability.

COMMENT

Aggregating the foregoing and the interactions with the reporter smack of irresponsibility and mischief as Adetayo’s stories in Saturday column of the Punch Newspaper of April 22, 2017, lacked objectivity which is one of the cardinal principles of journalism.

Similarly, his belligerence and non-repentance on his ways suggest his desperation to satisfy some subterranean interests of certain individuals who are bent on undermining the government.

In view therefore, Olalekan Adetayo is deemed to have lost the privilege of representing his media outfit in the State House.

You may wish to advise the Punch Newspaper that it reserves the right to send a more matured, professional and patriotic representative that will work in the overall interest of the nation rather than self-serving and parochial interests.

B. Abubakar, fsi.

Chief Security Officer to the President, C-in-C.

PT