Femi Adesina Reveals Emotional Moment when Requested to Serve

Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari, shared an emotional narrative about his initial hesitation and subsequent decision to serve under the president, during a book reading in Ibadan on Saturday June 22,2024.
The event focused on Adesina’s recently published book titled ‘Working With Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015 – 2023)’.
The event was hosted by Purplebloom Publishers, Ibadan Tech Expo, Safari Books, and Wells Radio Ibadan, the session was anchored by Michael Olatunbosun, a well-known broadcast journalist and book reviewer.
Durng the interactive session, Adesina shared passages from his 488-page book, emphasizing that his work aims to reveal the “Buhari software, not the hardware”—delving into the personal attributes and motivations of the former president rather than just his political actions.
He also shared the emotional conflict he passed through when President Buhari first asked him to join his administration, leaving his former position as Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspaper.
Adesina reveled his fear of the unknown and the difficulty of leaving a familiar job for a new challenge.
He said “What would I meet there? What if I did not like it? I did not want to leave my job, but it was too late to backtrack.”
During the session, other broader leadership themes were discussed. Adejoke Oyekan, the founder and creative director of Purplebloom Publishers, remarked on the importance of leadership skills, describing them as a blend of learning, integrity, and resilience.