The Presidency has described as a welcome development and another demonstration of press freedom and free speech in Nigeria, the resolve of The Punch newspapers to henceforth, address President Muhammadu Buhari as ‘Major General Buhari’.
The management of the newspapers took the resolution in protest against frequent abuse of human rights and assaults on Courts especially the recent re-arrest of the convener of #RevolutionNow and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.
Presidential Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, in a statement says the President attained the rank of ‘Major General’ in the military by “dint of hard work” before he retired.
“A newspaper says it will henceforth address President Muhammadu Buhari by his military rank of Major General.
“Nothing untoward in it. It is a rank the President attained by dint of hard work before he retired from the Nigerian Army. And today, constitutionally, he is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“All over the world, just as in our country, a large number of retired military officers are now democrats. It does not make those who did not pass through military service better than them.
“Rather than being pejorative, addressing President Buhari by his military rank is another testimony to free speech and freedom of the press, which this administration (or regime, if anyone prefers: it is a matter of semantics) has pledged to uphold and preserve,” Adesina states.
