AIT Disowns Presidency, Denies Giving Buhari ‘African President Of The Year 2019’ Award

DAAR Communications Plc, owners of African Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power Radio, have denied giving President Muhammadu Buhari an award titled ‘African President of the Year 2019’.

President Buhari’s aide on new media, Bashir Ahmad, had shared a picture on twitter portraying the privately-owned broadcasting company as giving the said award to his principal.

Ahmad captioned the now deleted picture: “The African President of the Year 2019. Great choice, thank you DAAR/AIT.”

But reacting hours after in a tweet, DAAR Communications distanced itself from the award.

The company said the award shared on social media by the presidential aide was given to President Buhari in January 2019 for the previous year, and “doesn’t reflect the activities of Mr President for the year 2019 in review.”

It said, “The attention of DAAR Communications PLC has been drawn to an image circulating on social media and amplified by the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on new media, @BashirAhmaad purportedly showing President Buhari as the DAAR Awards African President of the Year 2019.

“It has become necessary to respond as follows: 1. The award given to Mr President was an honorary award given to four African leaders which included Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Buhari of Nigeria.

“2. The 3rd DAAR Awards was hosted in January 2019 and therefore the award doesn’t reflect the activities of Mr President for the year 2019 in review.”

The company added, “The general public is therefore advised to kindly disregard the image been circulated, as it does not represent the position of DAAR Communications PLC for 2019.”

The attention of DAAR Communications PLC has been drawn to an image circulating on social media and amplified by the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on new media, @BashirAhmaad purportedly showing President Buhari as the DAAR Awards African President of the Year pic.twitter.com/uvCd0LnJwe

— AIT ONLINE (@OfficialAITlive) December 20, 2019