Femi Adeshina, Former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari, has said he earned less as an appointee compared to his previous job.
The former Presidential aide spoke at NUJ Press Centre Osogbo, Osun State on Wednesday at the Media dialogue programme organised by Association of Veteran Journalists.
It was easy for him to manage Buhari because his principal was only interested in telling Nigerians the truth, he added.
Adesina, while answering questions, challenged any Nigerian to come forward to prove anywhere he lied in the eight years of the Buhari’s administration.
According to him, Buhari is as straight as an arrow, he doesn’t lie, that made it very easy to sell him.
“A lot of people will say Lai Mohammed was lying to Nigerians, I challenge them that they should give me one lie that he has told, and they will look like fools. Mention one lie he has told.
“I went to work in government, I was paid one-third of the salary I was earning as the Managing Director of The Sun Newspaper when I served under Buhari for 8 years.
“One day the publisher of The Sun called me and asked about my salary as the appointee of the President. I told him, he almost fell down from where he sat. I told him that I went there to serve, he told me that he has instructed them in The Sun to pay me N1 million per month to support my earnings at the presidency.
”I thought about it with my wife and I decided not to accept it. I rejected it. I was earning next to nothing as salary as I served Buhari for 8 years.”
Adesina also added that Buhari curbed corruption.
According to him: “Buhari will not shield anybody that is corrupt. Look at the number of convictions we have between 2011 to 2015 compared with 2015 to 2023, it is almost times five.”
