President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of five more persons as media aides, but his political rival and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is mocking him, saying even if he appoints 1,000 media advisers, they could not save his sinking reputation.
Those whose appointments were announced to serve in the “Office of the President under the Media and Publicity Directorate with full respect for the tenets of Nigeria’s federal character principle and the supremacy of merit,” according to President Tinubu’s spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale are:
(1) Mr. Fela Durotoye (Senior Special Assistant to the President — National Values & Social Justice)
(2) Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo (Senior Special Assistant to the President — Public Engagement)
(3) Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe (Senior Special Assistant to the President — Strategic Communications)
(4) Mr. Aliyu Audu (Special Assistant to the President — Public Affairs)
(5) Mr. Francis Adah Abah (Personal Assistant to the President — Special Duties).
But Atiku, through his media aide, Mr. Phrank said: “Not even a thousand media aides can save the reputation of President Bola Tinubu, which is currently drowning in scandals.”
Ngelale said President Tinubu further approved the secondment of Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe to serve as the Communications Adviser to the President of the ECOWAS Commission.
“The President tasks all new appointees who are serving in the Media & Publicity directorate to uphold the highest standards of decorum and decency in their engagements with all members of the public as they advance the President’s determined bid to renew the hope of Nigerians in a restructured economy and unified society that caters sufficiently to the needs of all, regardless of any differences”, the statement from Ngelale added.
However, Atiku’s man, Shaibu, said the appointments were a confirmation of his September 18 statement, where he revealed that the Tinubu government was on the verge of unleashing a propaganda unit.
He said, “I warned on September 18 that the Tinubu government was getting frustrated after being exposed for their many lies and that they would set up a propaganda unit.
“Now they have established a media and publicity directorate. This brings to 20 the number of media advisers appointed by Tinubu. In fact, about three of these appointees hold the exact same portfolio.
“We understand the desperation by Tinubu’s government which is currently facing a huge certificate forgery scandal and is about to be drowned by the files that the FBI will release regarding his heroin case in the United States.
“For a government that claims to be focused on fiscal discipline, it has appointed the largest number of non-statutory appointments. Isn’t it ironic that Tinubu has more media advisers than economic aides? It is obvious that he plans to use propaganda to rule. No wonder he has held only one cabinet meeting in five months.
“Tinubu and his lackeys must, however, understand that no matter the air freshener you use in spraying excreta, the stench can never go away. No amount of image laundering can save his sinking image.
“His list of media aides include: Ajuri Ngelale (Special Adviser Media and Publicity); Tunde Rahman (SSAP Media); Tope Ajayi (SSAP Media and Publicity); Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (SSAP Print Media); Otega Ogara (SSAP Digital/New Media); Segun Dada (SAP Social Media); Nosa Asemota (SAP Visual Communications); Sunday Moses (PA Videography); Taiwo Okanlawon (PA State photography); Moremi Ojudu (SAP, community engagement southwest); Tanko Yakasai (SAP, community engagement northwest); Chioma Nweze (SAP, community engagement southeast)., Abiodun Essiet (SAP, community engagement north-central); Abdulhamid Yahaya Abba (SAP, community engagement northeast); Emmanuella Eduozor (SAP Multimedia content production). This is apart from the Minister of Information and others appointed in the ministry to drive the propaganda.
“With the latest appointment, Tinubu now has over 20 media aides, the highest in the history of Nigeria. But propaganda can only go so far. Propaganda cannot put food on the table of the poor; it cannot make their infrastructure better; it cannot solve insecurity, and it definitely cannot bring in circumspect foreign investors.
“They can only like the character, Squealer, in Animal Farm, succeed at increasing the quantities of food available to the community only on paper.”