On Wednesday, the Presidency warned that “too much criticism” from the media could throw the nation into disarray.
Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, made the comment while accepting the Ace Leadership Award from Love FM 104.5 Abuja’s management as part of the station’s Merit Awards 2022 ceremony at the State House in Abuja.
The State House Director (Information), Abiodun Oladunjoye, said in a statement that the Presidency requested sustained cooperation with the media to assist the administration and citizens in realizing the Nigeria of their dreams.
The announcement’s title is “Presidency seeks more media partnership in nation building.”
Adesina thanked the group for deciding he was deserving of the honor and added, “The media should partner with the government instead of being adversaries. What you find in the media at times is that they are so adversarial to the government, which does not have to be. This is our country, and we don’t have any other one.
“If they send the country into a tailspin through too much criticism, even the media won’t even be able to do its work. So, we should always bear in mind that it is our country and whatever we make of it is what we get.”
Ewuzie Lilian, a Love FM official who gave the award, acknowledged the organization’s delight in Mr. Adesina’s efforts as a journalist, having reached the pinnacle of his profession through perseverance.
She stated: “We are happy to identify with you because we know how you started. You rose through the ladder and here you are, still doing the media work. We know it is not everybody that will accept what you are doing.”
Despite some headlines that seem to indicate otherwise, she reassured the spokesman of Love FM’s support.
“Sometimes we criticise you, we learnt that from you anyway. Before you got here, you were criticising others. We have come to say congratulations despite all that has happened.
“We are proud at the level you have reached and pray that God will sustain you and give you more wisdom to deal with the challenges associated with the job,” she added.
CBM Media.