State House Correspondents ‘Irresponsible’ – Garba Shehu

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has described as “irresponsible”, the correspondents covering the Presidential Villa.

Shehu, who was reacting to the reportage of the alleged feud between President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Service, said responsible journalists should know that “debate and argument over issues” were bound to happen between top government officials.

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Recall that it was widely reported on Wednesday that the president’s Chief of Staff and the Head of Service allegedly locked horns over President Buhari’s indictment in the contentious reinstatement of sacked ex-pension boss, Abdulrasheed Maina, into the Federal Civil Service.

But the presidential spokesperson said against media reports, there was no feud between Kyari and Oyo-Ita, and that both were never summoned by President Buhari over any disagreement.

“I am a journalist myself, and in journalism, you are not supposed to report anything other than the facts of what you heard or observed directly, or what you were told by a firsthand or authoritative eyewitness.

“You cannot add two and two to make twenty-two and present it to the public as news.

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“People can debate and argue over issues, but to suggest that there was a feud, a fight or a clash was to take matters beyond what they were.

“Top government officials of that calibre see the President on a regular basis. To suggest that they were summoned to see him as a result of a so-called feud is just a fabrication, a conclusion that is below the level of responsible journalism that we expect from our State House correspondents,” said Mallam Shehu.

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