How Aso Rock power play consumed Tinubu media aide, Ajuri Ngelale

By the time Ajuri Ngelale announced on Saturday that he was stepping aside as presidential spokesman, he had fallen out with many key presidency officials — Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff; Hakeem Muri-Okunola, principal secretary; and Victor Adeleke, chief of state protocol. Not forgetting President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, who — together with Gbajabiamila — engineered Ngelale’s appointment as special adviser on media and publicity in July 2023.

Even George Akume, the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), reportedly complained to the president about how Ngelale created positions and announced to the public without informing his office, which manages political appointments.

In May 2024, Ngelale was named special presidential envoy on climate action, chairman of the presidential steering committee on Project Evergreen, Nigeria’s first green industrial zone, and secretary of the presidential committee on climate action and green economic solutions, chaired by Tinubu.

Leveraging on his closeness to the president and his son, Ngelale had reportedly proposed the creation of these three positions and received Tinubu’s approval. He then went ahead to issue a press statement announcing the appointment without recourse to the SGF, a development that enlarged the camp of his “enemies”. An enraged Akume drew the president’s attention to it.

Many had thought he would be dropped as spokesman with the climate change appointment, but he combined the roles for the whole of three months.

The climate change role also angered stakeholders in the sector who saw it as “power grab” and a violation of extant laws.

“Ajuri behaves as if he owns Aso Rock,” a senior insider in the presidential villa had told TheCable on Wednesday.

Three days later, he was gone.

Announcing that he was proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence on Saturday, he said it was for health reasons “in the nuclear family”. TheCable confirmed that there is indeed a medical issue in his family but it was not the primary reason for his decision to “step aside”.

The immediate trigger, TheCable understands, was the writing was on the wall that his days were numbered.

“Ajuri was asked to pick between being presidential spokesman and climate change ambassador. He said he should be allowed to think over it. He came back to pick presidential spokesman but he was told that he would need supervision as it was obvious he needed help,” another insider told TheCable.

The “help” he needed had been constantly highlighted to the president, some of which included mistakes in his press statements. He wrongly announced in September 2023 that Tinubu was the first African president to ring the closing bell at Nasdaq. He also prematurely announced the decision of the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift the visa ban on Nigeria. The government was particularly embarrassed by the media backlash on each occasion.

“Some of his press statements were simply childish,” the insider said, pointing to when Ngelale posted on social media that he had broken the State House record for most statements issued in a single day. That was on July 13, 2024. “I mean, what was that?”

Ngelale, 37, was also accused of not being a leader as he hardly gave any directions to his team members or held meetings with them.

“He was running a one-man show and played members of the team against each other, dealing only with the people he brought into the team,” the insider told TheCable.

Tinubu, who had been attracted to Ngelale because of his well-delivered CNN interview in May 2023, had also been asking his aides why his spokesman was no longer appearing regularly on TV since that was his major selling point. Although Ngelale resumed his TV duties, it was apparent by the day that he was already losing out in Aso Rock politics.

The Power Play

There was a beginning to the civil war.

Dele Alake, commissioner of information and strategy in Lagos state from 1999-2007 when Tinubu was governor, had been positioned to be the special adviser on media, strategy and special duties to the president. It all looked like a done deal until Seyi, whom insiders say plays a major role in appointments made by his father, decided to torpedo it.

Working with Gbajabiamila — who was still a strong chief of staff before the appointment of Muri-Okunola — Seyi played up Ngelale’s credentials to checkmate Alake, whose office would have been at the presidential villa if he had been made presidential spokesman. Instead, he was appointed minister of solid minerals and Ngelale was named as spokesman.

But that was just the beginning. Ngelale’s mistakes were constantly highlighted as reasons why he needed supervision. Bayo Onanuga, former MD of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and an experienced journalist who graduated from the University of Lagos in 1980, was named special adviser on information and strategy to the president in October 2023 to perform that role.

Many commentators believed Tinubu had too many senior figures in his communications team that amounted to duplication of roles, but it was also thought that Onanuga’s appointment would unify the team and streamline the flow of communication from the presidency.

It was not to be.

Insiders told TheCable that Ngelale refused to work with Onanuga and continued to relate directly with the president, apparently because he had the backing of Gbajabiamila and Seyi Tinubu.

The irony, though, is that Ngelale initially refused to accept his appointment as presidential spokesman, insisting he wanted to pursue a different path outside of government having been part of the communications team of President Muhammadu Buhari for four years.

He was persuaded by the president’s son to take the job, unknown to him that he was just a pawn on the chessboard.

The game would ultimately consume him as his backers backed out and he found himself in the middle of nowhere. He was left with no option than to fall on his own sword, having already fallen out with his guardian angels.

-Source: The Cable, except the headline

Tinubu’s aide Ajuri Ngelale quits proceeds on indefinite leave over family health 

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, has announced his resignation, saying he is stepping down to focus on medical matters affecting his nuclear family.

Ngelale said he had submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, informing him of his decision to step down as Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.

He said in the statement that he was stepping down from the two roles to enable him to proceed on indefinite leave.

President Bola Tinubu had on 31 July, 2023 named Ajuri as his official spokesperson and special adviser on media and publicity.

On May 19 this year, the president gave him an additional responsibility in the administration by appointing him Nigeria’s special presidential envoy on climate action. He served in that role as part of a larger presidential committee chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Ngelale, 38, was at different times a broadcast journalist with African Independent Television and Channels Television.

He also worked as public affairs consultant at the Federal Ministry of Power and later as senior special assistant on public affairs in the office of then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

His Resignation Letter 

On Friday, I submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President informing that I am proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence to frontally deal with medical matters presently affecting my immediate nuclear family.

While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson for the President; Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home.

I look forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit.

I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and I during this time.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

FG blocks Nigerian nurses from practising abroad, shuts certificate verification portal

Nigerian nurses in the United Kingdom, the United States and other places outside the country are currently in limbo following the decision of the Federal Government to close the certificate verification portal.

This has frustrated their efforts at completing the verification required by the host countries to admit them as registered nurses to practise.

Those already practising abroad are also unable to renew their operating licence since the deactivation of the verification portal by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria in February this year.

Many of the affected nurses are said to have been forced to return to the country.

In a report published on Saturday, PUNCH quoted some of those affecting voicing their frustration over the development.

One of them who spoke on condition of anonymity said the UK Trust, bound by its policies, reportedly terminated his employment due to his inability to meet the certification criteria.

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He said, “The situation is not only saddening but also suicidal. My career is stagnated because the portal is closed. I’m in Nigeria now. I have gone to the nursing council on several occasions to tell them that even if they should write a letter of good standing and send it to them, they would be happy to acknowledge it. But my efforts were futile.”

Another nurse based in Saudi Arabia, Hannah, said she travelled to the country in 2023 to practise as a nurse, but her future had become uncertain.

Reacting, President of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Michael Nnachi, said the group had engaged the government on the reopening of the portal.

He noted that a committee was recently formed to review the issue among others.

He said, “I would advise our affected members to remain patient.

“We are deeply concerned about the difficulties they are facing, and we are not comfortable with the situation. However, patience is necessary at this time.

“Finally, in many cases, even when agreements are reached with the government, they often fail to fulfil their promises. I remain hopeful and expect a positive response from the government. There is hope.”

FG blocks Nigerian nurses from practising abroad, shuts certificate verification portal