Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano State governor, has suspended his special adviser on media, Salihu Yakasai, for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Yakasai had on Twitter criticised the administration of the president for refusing to hearken to the demands of Nigerians calling for the scrapping of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
He described Mr Buhari as being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians who have been protesting and demanding the disbandment of the brutal squad unit of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
But in a Sunday statement by the Kano Information Commissioner, Muhammed Garba, the state government announced the suspension of the critic.
“Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state has suspended his Special Adviser on Media, Salihu Tanko Yakasai over some unguarded utterances on the person of President Muhammadu Buhari on the social media platform,” it read in part.
“The state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who conveyed the governor’s directive in a statement this afternoon, said the suspension is with immediate effect.
“He said that though the media aide has own up the indiscreet comment as his personal opinion, but that as a public figure, it will be difficult to differentiate between personal opinion and official stand on matters of public concern.
“The governor, therefore, warned political appointees and public servants to guard against making statements capable of drawing unnecessary controversy and heating up the polity,” the statement added.