Former presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has revealed that the widely reported story about rats invading President Buharis office in 2017 was intentionally fabricated to shift public attention from concerns over the presidents health. Shehu disclosed this in his newly published memoir. In the books tenth chapter, titled Rats, Spin and All That, Shehu recounts how the narrative was crafted as a strategic communication decision during a period of mounting public scrutiny. President Buhari had returned to Nigeria on August 19, 2017, after an extended medical stay in the United Kingdom. Public doubt over his health intensified after the Presidency announced that he would be working from home rather than from his official office in the Villa. This development, combined with online claims alleging that the returned Buhari was a body double named Jibrin from Sudan fueled widespread speculation. Shehu said the real concern within the administration was how to handle growing pressure from media and the public. He recounted overhearing a conversation in the office of the Chief of Staff, where a damaged cable was being discussed. Someone casually suggested that rats might have caused the damage, as the office had remained unused for several months. When the surge in calls for explanation of why the president would be working from home came, I said to the reporters that the office, which had been in disuse, needed renovation because rats may have eaten and damaged some cables.she said He acknowledged that the statement was not based on verified facts, but was deliberately crafted to deflect attention from Buharis health condition. The explanation quickly went viral and was widely covered by both local and international media, including the BBC. To get them off my back, I referred them to the strange rats that invaded the country in the 1980s during the rice armada Many critics disagreed with me, saying that we were covering up the presidents ill health. Some people had a good laugh and an insignificant few believed me. According to him, the tactic was designed to alter the narrativeI wanted the discussion to shift, to move to any other issue besides the presidents health and his ability to continue in office. However, Shehu admitted that not everyone in the administration supported his decision. He recalled being questioned by then Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo about the storys validity. Both of them disagreed, saying that this was well off the mark, he wrote In a separate section of the book, Shehu also addressed criticisms that Buhari was detached from national affairs. He refuted this perception, stating that the former president remained well-informed throughout his time in office. In Chapter 6, The Muhammadu Buhari Persona, Shehu described Buhari as someone who took more than a passing interest in knowing what was happening in the country. He added that Buhari routinely began his day by reading several newspapers and kept himself updated through radio and television.
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