‘I Am Proud Of My Boss, He Speaks From His Heart’ – Garba Shehu Recounts Working With Buhari

The Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu has disclosed how proud he is of his former principal.

Shehu, while recounting the experience working with Buhari, said he could go on stage with a prepared speech but close the script, and speak from his heart, Naija News gathered.

According to the former presidential aide, the Buhari administration was always honest with Nigerians concerning issues of national interest.

He told Daily Trust that ”I am being honest with you. I think we were as open and forthright as anybody could be. And we did this because the worst thing you can get is for the person you are defending to fall below the benchmark in terms of character and integrity. Nigerians will never forgive such a person. When you are dealing with a boss you know is absolutely above scandal, you sleep very soundly. I am proud of my boss.

”Many times, President Buhari could go on stage with a prepared speech but close the script, put it aside and speak from his heart.

”Sometimes he was at his best. This means that there are times when leaders, including Buhari, are frame-worked by officialdom. They deserve the freedom to do and say what they think from their hearts. He liked to do that from time to time.”

Shehu, who said he doesn’t have any regrets working with Buhari in the last eight years, noted that ”Honestly, I don’t have any regret. But there are things you wish could have gone differently.”

Speaking about how the administration handled criticisms, he revealed that ”Lai Mohammed used to say that it is easier to wake the person who is asleep than the one pretending to be asleep. These things are known and people are talking about it every day. As long as the journalism rule that bad news is good news has not changed, we will continue to be in trouble, especially from the point of view of the government because they (newspapers) will think that nobody would buy it. ()

”We just laugh over it. They went and convinced people outside; that is why some misperceptions over the victory have persisted. We condemn them to their own laxity. Now, those who follow them are paying the price for being misled.”