Sanusi Bature, An Accidental Spokesman By Muazu Muazu

Regrettably, some spokesmen are not able to endure the mystery of suffering in discharging their duties. Some jump to conclusions about source of their sufferings.

For Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, he acknowledges that his Job as the director of press in Kano government house has been a source of strength to him, but, then he turns and puts the blame for Job’s suffering squarely on Job.

His reasoning is a syllogism. Public Relations avoids this false syllogism. But it is very commonly accepted by decorations. It is called a theology of journalistic retribution, and it assumes that journalism blesses those who are faithful to the profession and punishes those who fail to work professionally.

Anyone who has spent quality time with Sanusi Bature knows how hard it is to remain present without trying to give answers. My instinct as trained Journalist with nose for news and using journalistic analysis is to investigate what went wrong and identify a solution. Then imagine I can help Sanusi get back to normal as soon as possible.

Sanusi was chose to serve as a government spokesman in 2023 as a salesman and the front office manager. Professionally, he would be the first person who tastes the food and confirms to customers that the menu is good for them after serving in the broadcast media line with Governor Abba said, the commitments to engage youth in governance and integrate more hands in the process of discharging responsibilities.

A seasoned PR expert with 19 years working experience in both international development, private sector and the media in Nigeria, he fails to translate his work experience and expertise into reality.

The position of a spokesman in any organisation is a moral one. Sanusi fails to subsume himself in the cause. He was not passionate and convincing from the onset. I doubt if his heart is in the job.

In public relations, if you fail to create channels to make inputs on any issues, then, you have do away pitfalls and retry. For Sanusi, he only carries the message to the public. He only follows the easiest paths and this tells how ill-prepared he was. He fails to learn from the glory of the past, his predecessors, like Professor Sule Ya’u Sule, Mr. Abba Anwar among others.

Sanusi doesn’t listen and understand the play within the political terrain he is operating on, not to talk of the audience, contex and history as well traditions of releasing Press Release. He addresses his principal today as Engr., tomorrow as Alhaji, the day after tomorrow as executive governor. He speaks recklessly and writes poorly without embodying messages and characters in his releases. He always tries to secure political capital from within.

For example, as he continues to attack elected leaders from his constituency carelessly and incessantly, Sanusi calls media organisations for clarifications on issues that are supposed to be released by him. Sanusi was said to have been encroaching unrightfully on many visitors’ rights or other workers’ territory. He blocks many people from seeing the governor.

Scrutinizing his releases, one could mirror and smell whether he was hired to write for media outlets. He releases news with created headlines without polishing and no compelling, captivating and motivating paragraphs. No depths, no angles, nothing. He makes journalism a tasking vocation. The success of any Chief Press Secretary depends largely on creating convincing illusion on his principal. The content of any press release gives it an agency in public relations and media headlines.

Sanusi’s relationship with the journalists covering government house is astonishing. He relates with them miserably. A journalist who doesn’t want his name to be mentioned alleges that he corners and blocks benefits and privileges of reporters. His body language leads to the suspension of many journalists on the account that they tried to lodge complaints to the governor against him for holding allowances. He speaks ill of the journalists after visiting a governor who was on a courtesy visit to the government house. These allegations must be thoroughly investigated. I urge the people governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to fully investigate these allegations and other indulgences.

Lastly, I ask! Is Sanusi Bature appointed by accident? How did he emerge as the spokesman of the year in 2024? Some people still allege that he buys his ways. Who takes notes and writes press release for? Report says he deployed some people who write for him. Anyway, time will tell.

Muazu Muazu is a broadcast journalist from Kano

muazumj@gmail.com