Maryam Musa
As the 2019 general elections draws nearer, political groups are reaching out to organisations and individuals whose support is crucial to the victory of their candidates. It was in this regard that President Muhammadu Buhari’s support group led by one Ndubisi Johnson visited FUZA Communication Services Limited publishers of DESERT HERALD Newspaper on Wednesday to express appreciation for what the paper has done over the years to the president and to solicit the support of the media outfit towards the re-election struggle of President Buhari.
Mr. Johnson who was welcomed with his team by the publisher of DESERT HERALD, Malam Tukur Mamu told the publisher that they have been following with keen interest the contributions of the paper since 2003 when President Buhari indicated interest to seek for the nation’s number one job and said the consistency of DESERT HERALD in promoting the personality and candidature of Buhari, the paper’s perseverance against all odds and at a time when the president is struggling as an opposition leader is highly commendable and something that must be acknowledged and be appreciated. He told Mamu that they are in DESERT HERALD not only to seek for the paper’s support towards the re-election of the president but to tell the world the sacrifices DESERT HERALD has done to the president in the past and to thank the management of the paper. Johnson told Mamu that President Buhari will never forget the sacrifices of his paper and assured him that the president is grateful and has resoect for him.
In his response, Mal. Mamu said he expected such visits and acknowledgements before now but said it is better late than not done completely. He said DESERT HERALD’s contributions to President Buhari is out of pure patriotism and that the paper is not expecting any reward when it committed itself to the struggle and that DH has remained consistent in promoting Buhari for 13 years before he eventually won in 2015. Mamu said there is so much crisis of insecurity, hunger, division, poverty etc in Nigeria today and said Nigerians are no longer interested in any form of media propaganda by politicians and challenges political parties to work towards changing the lives of Nigerians, in such a way that citizens can feel the impact directly but not a situation where achievements are only on paper while majority of Nigerians continue to live in abject poverty and squalor.
Mamu said President Buhari is a credible leader but was surrounded by those that didn’t wish the country well. “I know the president in person and he knows me too well. I have interacted closely with him before becoming the president. I will always wish him well”. He assured the Support Group of DESERT HERALD’s commitment to democracy and balanced reporting. He thanked them for choosing the paper as their first point of call in Kaduna.
