Dada Olusegun, a media aide to Bola Tinubu, has criticized Nigerian media outlets for circulating a photo depicting Tinubu sleeping during the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).
In a post shared on X platform, Olusegun, a media aide to the president, defended Tinubu’s appearance at the event, asserting that despite the captured moment of sleep, Tinubu delivered a compelling speech regarded as one of the most inspiring addresses of the AU summit.
According to Olusegun, Tinubu’s speech highlighted critical topics such as the proposed establishment of the African Central Bank by 2028 and emphasized the significance of unity and innovative governance approaches across the continent.
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While refraining from confirming or denying whether Tinubu dozed off during the session, Olusegun condemned the media for spotlighting the photo, suggesting that their focus diverted attention from the substantive issues addressed by Tinubu at the AU summit.
“Guess what the media back home decided to push?” Mr Olusegun asked, adding that “the ones I pity the most in all of these are their young audiences who miss out on important developments because those they listen to continue to shield them from what they need to know at the expense of what will trend.”
A photo of Mr Tinubu sleeping during the ordinary session on Saturday while his aide-de-camp, Colonel Nurudeen Alowonle Yusuf, took notes closely behind him emerged on the internet, eliciting reactions from Nigerians.
The emergence of the photo depicting Tinubu asleep during the session sparked reactions among Nigerians, echoing similar instances where Tinubu was observed sleeping during public events prior to the 2023 presidential election.
These occurrences had previously raised concerns regarding Tinubu’s health condition and suitability for leading the nation.