For two years, a group of journalists, led by the director of special duties, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, has been publishing a magazine, The Presidential Diary. The group explained that the magazine was started to give a resounding voice to the achievements of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is a magazine conceived and designed to provide a platform for projecting the noble intentions, change agenda and vision of Mr. President,” Jimoh said. “The Presidential Diary was formed by a group of like-minds: those who believe in the administration of President Buhari. These persons are made up of seasoned journalists, public affairs analysts and those that believe in the change agenda of the administration.
“Before the coming of this administration, these persons yearned for change because they were tired of the state-of-affairs. We decided to come together to rebuild this confidence in Nigeria that this government can reclaim our lost glory and take us to that pristine age. The only channel for doing this is not by carrying out propaganda or engaging in all sorts of media hype, but by articulating the policies and programmes of this government in this magazine, through constructive narratives and photographs of what is on ground.
“We believe that pictures speak volumes, therefore, we don’t just tell, we show. In the last two and a half years of this administration, a lot has been achieved, from security to economy and manpower development. All these achievements are captured monthly in every edition of the magazine.”
Noting that many ‘doubting Thomases’ were already believing in the administration, he explained that President Buhari and his wife, Aisha, the Attorney-General and the two presidential spokesmen had endorsed the magazine and actively supported the initiative.
“At the moment, our presence is being felt all over the country. We are in all states, especially in states that believe in this change agenda. We are happy to announce the support of state governments that are identifying with us. We enjoy the support of a good number of them and that of certain individuals and corporate organisations in and outside the country. Embassies and foreign missions of Nigeria are also identifying with us in numerous ways.
“At the moment, many of them use and process the information contained in this magazine in rating the achievements of this administration. Every month, we give them copies, the way we do to all ministries, departments and agencies, groups and organisations in and outside the country. This we do without charge.
“We give out every edition of the magazine free and we state it clearly, ‘Not for sale,’ on the cover. In order to get the desired effect, in terms of wide readership, we decided not to sell the magazine. This does not mean that they are printed free. This group of like minds, including my humble self, the initiator, pools meagre resources, time and energy together to ensure the publication of this magazine. And we believe that our efforts and commitment to this cause is not in vain.
“We believe that the seed Mr. President and his team are planting has started yielding fruits. We will continue to defend and nurture them and sensitis e Nigerians towards national growth and development,” he said.