EVERYBODY was there, yes almost everyone. For someone who left the corridors of power more than two years ago, Garba Shehu’s book presentation was a testimony to his associations.
People remembered Muhammadu Buhari, former President, who many said accounted for their presence. They prayed for his quick recovery.
The gathering at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday waited through the drill of such events – speeches, goodwill messages, from home and abroad.
General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, 91, was Chairman of the event. He stayed for the three hours or so that it lasted. The Vice President was represented.
Many Ministers and officials of the Buhari administration attended in their numbers.
Individuals, state governments made their donations.
Then the arrival of Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace was announced. He came minutes to the end. Nobody knew he was to be the apooge of the event.
Onyema was not advertised in any capacity for the event. After telling us that Buhari was one of the greatest Nigerians ever, and that he could not have missed the event for anything, he purchased 20 copies of the book for N300m.
Was the microphone sounding well? Yes, N300m. He said he would support Buhari’s projects.
When he stepped down from the podium, and pumped a couple of hands, Deputy Chairman of the occasion, Prince Nduka Obiaegbena called it a day.
‘According to the President’, Shehu’s account of his eight years as presidential spokesman, is not “my memoirs”, the author stated upfront.
Dr. Charles Okigbo, Professor Emeritus of Strategic Communication Analytics at North Dakota State University, Fargo, contributed a chapter on Fake News.
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