9 Months After, Economist Magazine Refutes Article Against Buhari

Tayo Olanipekun
The Economist magazine has said an article criticizing Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, quoted and attributed to the UK-based journal by many online news platforms,for about nine months now, did not emanate from its stable.
The African Editor of the magazine, Jonathan Rosenthal, made the clarification on Thursday in a statement addressed to Laolu Akande, Press Secretary/Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Office of the Vice President.
“It has come to my attention that an article has been circulating on social media and been published on various websites that purports to have been written or published by The Economist,” the statement explained.
The article, published on April 23, 2017 by Nigerian Economist, has the title, The Unprecedented Level of Patience Shown to Buhari and Rosenthal said “any claims connecting it to The Economist are false.”
“Nigerians have never shown such level of patience and tolerance towards any of their past leaders for his record and strange policies as that shown to the current leader, Muhammadu Buhari-a former military dictator now self-confessed democrat who said he came to fight corruption,” the article said in its opening paragraph.
Responding over the development on Friday, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said in a statement that should be watchful about the information that comes their way.
“The Presidency enjoins Nigerians to be very watchful and circumspect about the kind of information they are exposed to, and share, especially in this period when purveyors of fake news abound,” Adesina’s statement read.
The website of the news outfit was, however, inactive when National Wire attempted to access its original publication.