The Presidency on Monday denied media report (not THE PUNCH) that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the replacement of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as Service Chiefs.
The denial was contained in a statement made available to journalists by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
The presidential spokesman said rather than rush to print what he called an unsubstantiated story, the newspaper would have done better to confirm the information at its disposal from many available military and government information channels.
That, he said, would have prevented “the self-inflicted wound of publishing a one-legged story that is not completely true, and damaging its brand in the process.”
While confirming that Olonisakin is due for retirement next week, Adesina said he has was yet to be replaced.
He said, “Gen. Olonisakin is due to retire from the Army next week, having satisfied the official number of years in service. He is yet to be replaced. But the Chief of Naval Staff has a short while more, and President Buhari could, therefore, not have approved his replacement yet.
“This administration has repeatedly pledged commitment to transparency and accountability, and one of the hallmarks of that is making information available to the media.
“But when some sections of the media would rather speculate, than cross-check and double check information, then it borders on deliberate mischief. That, surely, is not the way to go, for national cohesion and development.”
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