25th June, 2019
It described it as ill-thought, needless and unfortunate and also distanced its members from the protest at Kyari’s official residence.
BMO said in a statement signed by the Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that the protesters were people with little or no understanding of President Buhari and how he works.
It said: “We wish to dissociate the Buhari Media Organisation from the recent protest at the Defence House, by persons calling for the resignation of the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari. We did not sanction or support those protests including interviews on various media platforms, neither do we subscribe to the mission of the protesters and their sponsors.
“Malam Kyari as Chief of Staff to the President has brought sublime sophistication to the dispensation of his duties; he has given his best dutifully, and has been instrumental to the many successes of the Buhari administration.
“A decision by the President to retain him – if he so wishes – is one we cannot object to, but rather endorse wholeheartedly.
“We have no doubt that those who took to the streets against a key player in the Buhari administration are sponsored elements who can best be described as meddlesome interlopers.”
BMO said contrary to the position of the protesters and their sponsors, the Chief of Staff is one individual with a pedigree.
“Here is a man with academic background in Sociology and Law from two of the best universities in the world but later veered into Banking where he rose to the highest position in one of Nigeria’s most influential banks, United Bank for Africa Plc. (UBA).
“The Cambridge-trained lawyer who once worked for the law firm of Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo had never been a politician but had since 2015 successfully implemented the agenda of President Buhari.
“So we are amused that some people somewhere could insinuate that the President is being controlled by his employee or anybody in the Presidency by whatever name they chose to call them.
“The President we know is his own man and we have his authority to say that the buck stops on his table.
“It is all about political appointments but our message to those blackmailers is that only President Buhari will exercise his right to choose who he wants to work with in his second term in office and he would do that at the appointed time,” It added.
The group consequently urged Nigerians to ignore any suggestion by the protesters of a President whose every action is determined by a shadowy clique.