Presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, in this interview by LEON USIGBE speaks on the speculated second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari, declaring that the president will determine the direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the 2019 elections. He also speaks on the recent visits of the president to some states affected by killings in the North.

Let us put the visits in proper perspective. Nasarawa was a working visit. It was not a condolence visit. Plateau was also a working visit, not a condolence visit. So, the places where we have had condolence visits so far are Taraba, in Benue and Yobe states. Three states have been visited; five are slated for such kind of visit. So, you have Zamfara and Rivers states still outstanding in that category. So, we need to understand it properly that not all the visits so far were condolence visits. Some are working visits-Nasarawa and Plateau states. But what lesson can we learn from the condolence visits? It is that Nigerians must learn to live together. No ethnic group should wish away other ethnic groups in this country. We have to learn to live together.

We have a federation and anybody must be at home anywhere in the country, as long as they are bonafide Nigerians. That is what the president has told them in the places he visited. He will tell the governor, ‘you can stay here for a maximum of eight years. I can stay here a maximum of eight years as president, but the locals and the herdsmen will live together forever’. He said God did not make a mistake when he created 250 ethnic groups and got them to live together in a geographical entity called Nigeria. So, the lesson is we must learn to live together. But then government, according to the constitution, must guarantee the protection of lives and property and government will do its level best in that respect.

Why were some newspapers prevented from covering the president’s visit to Benue State?

The presidency had nothing to do with it. The accreditation for newspaper coverage during that visit was done locally, that is, by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor of the affected states. They were the host. So, they were the ones that can do that kind of thing. We had nothing to do with it. I saw a headline “Presidency bars…”, No no. You see, some people are already paranoid about the presidency and if they want to continue in that paranoia, we say good luck to them.

Even medical people do say “we care but God cures or God heals.” So, it is God. No matter your determination as a person, they say determination plays a part in healing but if you are determined to get healed and God says ‘no, time up’, that determination will not work. So, the first source we must credit the president’s bounce back to is God. God heard the prayers of Nigerians and even people beyond this country. You remember that in Guinea, they declared a day of fasting and praying for the president’s health. So, God heard all those prayers: He spared our president and he is fully back in terms of his health. So, we give God the glory.

Politicians are said to be ganging up against the reelection of President Buhari. That should give the president a lot of concerns. What should Nigerians expect as his reaction to all these political moves against him?

Democracy thrives on multiplicity. You cannot have a democracy of one man. If it is one man, it is already autocracy; it is not democracy again. So, if you have multiple interests like that, it makes democracy to thrive. There is also what is called the right of first refusal. In a party that is cohesive, that is together, they want to hear whether the incumbent is interested before they throw the game open. So, when the president speaks, it will then determine what the party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), does.

The government has executed or is executing some landmark projects such as the railway lines and major roads. Which of these would you say gives the president the greatest joy and why?

Anything that touches the lives of the poor is what gladdens the president. Anywhere we go and he sees them [the people] come out en masse to welcome him like that, he just tells himself, “I hope I am able to touch the lives of these people.” So, anything the government now does, for instance in the agriculture sector, when we came, rice farmers were about five million. But today, they are 12 million. So, over six million rice farmers, successful ones, were made millionaires. So, those kinds of things gladden the president’s heart. Anything that touches the lives of the ordinary people and turns their situation around, that is what gladdens his heart.

Poor power supply has remained a major issue. Should Nigerians still be hopeful that the Buhari presidency will deliver on this?

It’s still an issue, but compare it to where we are coming from particularly in 2015. When this government came, there was less than 3,000 megawatts. Today, you have 7,001 megawatts, which is more than double of what we had before. And of that, we can distribute well over 5,000 megawatts. So, there is a huge difference between where we are coming from and where we are now. And the target of this administration is that, by 2019, there will be 10,000 megawatts. So, if there is over 7,000 megawatts, it shows that the 10,000 megawatts target is achievable.

What are you pinning this hope on? Are there new power projects to be implemented?

The strategy is a mix. Everything is not a single type of power; it is not just all about hydro or gas or all that. There is a mix of power sources. Very soon, I think one power project is going to be commissioned in Katsina State. I think it is wind. Then, you have solar everywhere. You have all sources. It is going to be an agglomeration of different types of power sources. And so, between now and 2019, the target of 10,000 megawatts will be achieved, by the grace of God.

Opponents of your government, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have reinvented their media machines. You must be feeling the heat now or you are simply not bothered by what they do or say?

It wouldn’t bother me a hoot. But then, this question should go to the spokesman of the APC because he is the parallel of the PDP spokesman. There is no other government or presidency that I can say is parallel to this one [my office] that I must respond to. No. But party to party, the APC spokesman should respond.

Every problem confronting every government is a media issue and, given challenges that spring on all fronts, are you not feeling overwhelmed? How do you manage the attacks directed at you? Any regrets taking this tough job?

I take them in my strides. For instance, I see a lot of what you will call attacks directed at me which are unfounded because they are not part of my brief. People don’t often understand the difference between a spokesman for the president and a spokesman for the government. I see them shouting and wailing about certain things and they say Femi Adesina, but I know that that is outside my brief. So, I just ignore it. The one that is within my remit, the one that is within my purview, I try to do it to the best of my ability and the president who is my principal, who appointed me, has not complained about my work. So, I want to believe that he is satisfied and as long as he is satisfied, it’s okay by me.

Have you ever wondered why you have remained on the job because of what people do to you? 

No. No. I came to do the job voluntarily. Yeah. For me, I don’t even call it a job. I call it an assignment which I took on voluntarily. And because I took it on voluntarily, there is nothing anybody says that will discourage me because I know why I came and as long as my principal is doing the work, I’m glad to assist him in any little way that I can.

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