Femi Adesina, the media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, recently addressed the claims made by Reuben Abati, the former presidential spokesperson for Goodluck Jonathan. In his 2016 article titled ‘The spiritual side of Aso Rock,’ Abati asserted that there was a higher force at work in the Aso Rock Villa.
Abati went on to claim that a cleric had recommended converting the state house into a museum due to its alleged abundance of evil spirits. He also shared personal experiences of suffering injuries and breathing difficulties for six months, stating that he never spent a full hour sleeping in the apartment provided to him in the villa.
Contrary to Abati’s claims, Adesina stated that he had resided in the presidential villa for eight years without encountering any of the alleged supernatural occurrences. In his own article titled ‘The good in goodbye,’ Adesina denied experiencing any mysterious illnesses or witnessing any strange events during his stay in the official residence.
According to Adesina, Abati’s purported ordeal had no connection to the Aso Villa. He acknowledged that while humans often face challenges in life, he personally did not encounter such difficulties during his time in the villa. Adesina expressed gratitude to God for sparing him from ailments and emphasized that his experience differed from Abati’s. He humorously mentioned how he slept soundly in his villa for eight years, even snoring loudly enough to wake himself up. Adesina concluded that the varying experiences of individuals should not be attributed to the Aso Villa, as sound sleep was another positive aspect of bidding farewell to the residence.
According to Adesina: “My predecessor in office (read, ancestor) Dr Reuben Abati, had alleged that Aso Villa is haunted, and should be turned to a museum. Abandoned. True? I didn’t see any of his rather wild claims, not in eight years.
“To the glory of God, I never experienced anything like this. Human beings normally face one vicissitude or the other, it is part of life. But God equally spares His own. No ailment to nurse, other than things typical of aspiring senior citizens like me. And nothing died under the waist.
“Well, I slept in my house in the Villa for eight years. And I snored, even so loudly to wake myself up. So, it’s really different strokes for different folks. And it really has nothing to do with Aso Villa. Yes, sound sleep is another good in goodbye,” he added.
