Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has suspended his media aide Salihu Yakasai for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari over his handling of the #EndSARS campaign.
Mr Yakasai had knocked Buhari for not addressing Nigerians amid outrage over the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force.
Yakasai had tweeted, “I have never seen a government with zero empathy like that of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“So many times when his people are going through a difficult time and expect some sort of tap on shoulder to reassure them that he is in charge, but he failed to do so…”
In reaction, the Kano State Government in a statement on Sunday signed by the Commissioner for Information Muhammed Garba said Yakasai’s comments were “unguarded”, adding he had been suspended immediately.
“Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has suspended his Special Adviser on Media, Salihu Tanko Yakasai over some unguarded utterances on the person of President Muhammadu Buhari on the social media platform,” the statement read.
“The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who conveyed the governor’s directive in a statement this afternoon, said the suspension is with immediate effect.
“He said that though the media aide has own up the indiscreet comment as his personal opinion, but that as a public figure, it will be difficult to differentiate between personal opinion and official stand on matters of public concern.
“The governor, therefore, warned political appointees and public servants to guard against making statements capable of drawing unnecessary controversy and heating up the polity.”
Ganduje had in April sacked the state’s commissioner for works and infrastructure Mu’azu Magaji for celebrating the death of Buhari’s chief of staff Abba Kyari.
