Desert Herald Publisher, Mallam Tukur MAMU has responded to claims by the spokesman of Gov Kashim SHETTIMA, Isa GUSAU. Mr. Gusau had in an interview said the Dan-Iyan Fika is among the forces that are trying to set his boss against President Muhammadu Buhari.
MAMU regrets why Gusau deliberately refused to go further to elaborate his baseless claim and instead provided unconvincing rhetoric, saying “his ranting is just a hyperbole and diversionary”. MAMU said whenever DH writes, it is not just for the fun of it, maintaining that “public interest comes first in the job we do in DH”.
The DH publisher who said the paper will soon celebrate its twelve solid years on the newsstand amidst unimaginable challenges that makes it more stronger and popular by the day, maintained that he will no longer provide opportunity for corrupt media aides like he has done in the past to take advantage of what their ineptitude created to exploit money from their bosses for responses and rejoinders that will only end up in ridiculing or rising more questions than answers for issues affecting their bosses.
Mamu said DH has now repositioned itself more than ever before to provide accurate and authoritative news to its increasing readers. He said, “instead of wasting time to respond to sycophants and morally bankrupt persons that are justifying their pay, DH will continue to boldly engage on issues that will promote justice and good governance through news reporting”. He said as 2019 approaches Nigerians will continue to read so much on issues affecting them, and or on success or failure of the leaders they elected.
MAMU said no amount of mischief provocation or incitement from a ‘foreign’ protégé or cronies that are living in a glass house with so many skeletons in their cupboards will make him engage Gov. SHETTIMA in verbal exchanges in newspapers. Mamu said his relationship with Gov Shettima has come along way and that he so much respect the Borno State Governor.
He reminded the sycophants that Mr. Shettima is among the few northern leaders that supported DESERT HERALD to grow and that DH is for long in a relationship that provided mutual benefit (for DH and the governor). He said in private, he has also remained very close to the governor. “One of the greatest attributes of Kashim is that he never take advantage of my relationship with him to interfere or influence my work even if DH criticises him. And I don’t have the powers to interfere in his as well. But as a leader, Kashim has a lot of responsibilities.
And if we truly love him we shouldn’t be sycophants. We must tell him what sometimes he may not like to hear even if it will end our relationship. If we do that he may not be happy with us now but posterity will judge us. He may not understand now until when he is no longer in power like most of his former colleagues are painfully regretting today. I pray our friend and brother will not”.
MAMU concluded by saying DH will never be deterred or accept to be blackmail by person(s) that are looking for relevance and have taken so many advantages and corruptly enriched themselves and invested so much at the expense of the poor people of Borno State and it’s treasury. He challenged Isa or any official of BOSG to let Nigerians know why he (Mamu) is doing the purported “mischief against SHETTIMA” and promised them an appropriate answer.
