The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Federal Housing Authority Senator Gbenga Ashafa has denied a picture of himself and President Muhammadu Buhari published on the cover of Thisday Newspaper
The Senator stated that the picture purportedly taken during a recent visit to the President after his appointment is not true
The picture which showed him and President not wearing a facemask was actually taken sometime in 2018.
This was his press statement
The attention of Senator Bareehu Olugbenga Ashafa, Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA has been drawn to a picture published on the front page of the Monday, August 17, 2020 edition of Thisday newspaper which captured President Mohammadu Buhari in a pose with Senator Ashafa with a caption that suggested that the picture was taken after Senator Ashafa was appointed Managing Director of the FHA recently.
We wish to put it on record that the said picture was taken during a visit to the state house by some members of the APC caucus in the senate in November 2018 and were received by President Muhamnadu Buhari at Aso Rock Villa.
As the optics of the picture indicate glaringly, it could not have been taken recently as it is in not in compliance with the COVID- 19 safety protocols which do not allow any type of close contact and the non - use of a facial mask by visitors to the President as seen in the picture.
We have contacted Thisday to register our observations and demand a retraction of the caption and publication of a correction to indicate the accurate context in which the picture was taken.