Femi Adesina, media adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, has risen in stout defence of his boss over criticisms trailing the sack of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and ex-Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke.
Adesina’s response is contained in an article he release on Friday titled, ‘PMB: Just like the mills of the gods’.
Adesina wondered why some Nigerians were directing attacks at Buhari, despite the action he took on the duo.
According to him, the president took his time on the matter, because “better that 100 criminals escape, than kill a single innocent man unjustly”.
He wrote: “On Monday, this week, the Engr Babachir David Lawal and Amb. Ayo Oke saga came to a denouement. The duo had been accused of some unsavoury acts, and sent on suspension in April, this year. A panel was constituted to look into the allegations against them, with a two-week time frame”.
“A day before the report of the panel was to be submitted, President Buhari had to travel abroad on the second leg of a medical vacation. He was away till August 19. In this period, some impatient Nigerians were totally restive.
“They even besieged the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, urging him to act on the report of the panel. They wanted to turn the man into jury and judge, discountenancing the fact that he had chaired the panel that conducted the probe.
“When President Buhari mercifully returned on August 19, his plane had barely touched down, when the impatient people began to ask for the report of the Osinbajo panel. “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time,” wrote Leo Tolstoy. But such people would have none of it. They called for an immediate decision on the lingering saga.
“On August 23, VP Osinbajo submitted the report, in six hefty volumes. Of course, there was an executive summary, as best practices would demand. And the noise continued from some quarters. We want action on the submitted report, and we want it NOW.
“They forget that “patience is not simply the ability to wait, it’s how we behave while we are waiting” (says the preacher, Joyce Meyer). And they also forget the mills of the gods, which grind slowly, but exceedingly finely.
“They went forward to accuse the President of treating Nigerians with contempt. With scorn. Derision. Flippancy. Levity. They would rather justice had been miscarried, as long as the urge for blood was satiated.
“They would rather the President had played to the gallery, swinging the sword and decapitating everyone in sight, not minding whether they were innocent or guilty.”
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