- Abati advised the president’s media team to make the presidential media chat a regular event so that Nigerians could hear from their president directly
Veteran journalist, Dr. Reuben Abati has revealed that Monday night’s maiden Presidential Media Chat was unscripted.
He emphasised that questions thrown at President Bola Tinubu were not pre-vetted by the presidency.
He disclosed this as a co-host on The Morning Show on Arise TV on Tuesday.
WITHIN NIGERIA earlier reported that Tinubu was interviewed by an eminent team of journalists, including Abati, at his private residence in Ikoyi, Lagos State on Monday.
Abati said, “I speak as a veteran of presidential media chats. I was in the first presidential media chat that President Obasanjo had after the return to civilian rule. I have interviewed since then every Nigerian president. I managed President Goodluck Jonathan and I organised presidential media chats on a regular basis.
“So I speak as somebody who can claim to have very solid experience in the business and I want to say to start with that I think it was a good development that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decided to have that presidential media chat yesterday and I was privileged again to be the moderator of that chat, which is something at a personal level that I consider historic.
“Now let me tell you about the atmosphere of it. Nobody asked us to submit questions.
“President Bola Tinubu did not say what are you going to discuss?
“In fact, we did not see him until he walked into the set…Until he walked into the set, that was when we asked him questions.”
Abati said he was impressed that the president was in good spirits and was prepared to take on the encounter.
He noted that the president was ready to talk to Nigerians.
Abati advised the president’s media team to make the presidential media chat a regular event so that Nigerians could hear from their president directly.