Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s ex-spokesman, Garba Shehu, has revealed that his 2017 claim about rats invading the Presidential Villa was a deliberate strategy to divert public attention from Buhari’s health challenges and delayed resumption of duties.
Shehu made this disclosure in his newly released book, ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience’.
In Chapter 10, titled ‘Rats, Spin and All That’, he explained that the controversy arose after another media aide, Bashir Ahmad, announced Buhari’s return to Nigeria, stating he would work from home.
Facing intense media scrutiny, Shehu said journalists, including BBC Hausa, pressed him for details about the alleged cable-chewing rats. To deflect questions, he referenced an unrelated 1980s incident involving invasive rats from Southeast Asian rice shipments.
Shehu admitted the story was intentionally fabricated to shift focus away from discussions about the president’s health and fitness for office.
However, then-Information Minister Lai Mohammed and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo later questioned his approach, dismissing it as ineffective. Shehu maintained that the tactic achieved its goal by redirecting public discourse.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
