President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated his lack of fitness for the presidency in countless ways, but one of the clearest is in the company of Media aides he keeps. It has now become a tradition in Nigeria for a government in power, to make lopsided appointments, all in the name of favouritism. When a government is on sit, all hell will break loose. Nigerians will be at each other’s throats, not because of any fundamental differences over how to respond to the monumental challenges facing their country, but over who gets appointed to what post. And as soon as a new lineup is announced, the acrimony is apt to intensify rather than subside. It is at that point—the point at which the task of governing should commence in earnest–that cries of ‘favouritism’ and ‘marginalisation’ are apt to be loudest and most distracting.
Many are not bothered about other lopsided appointments, like that of Nysome Wike, who is said to be troubling the waters of PDP and selling government lands in Abuja. We are more bothered about the fringe figures, conspiracy theorists and sycophants Tinubu is surrounding himself with, who put fealty to him above all else.
A series of nominations by Mr. Tinubu showed the potential dangers posed by his reliance on his inner circle in the starkest way possible.
For a sensitive sector, Mr. President has appointed ‘loyalists’ with no discernible qualifications for their jobs, people manifestly inappropriate for crucial positions, as Media aides.
In this trying times when the economy is dancing ‘palongo’, should Mr. President not cut down on the cost of governance, rather than putting up a Media Team, as food for the boys.
As at this morning, Mr. President has 3 Special Advisers, and 7 Senior Special Assistants, and 3 Special Assistants all within the Media Team. Apart from his SA on digital media and visual communication, the other aides are only overlapping the job of the Minister of Information.
The most irresponsible was his choice for Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media. To fill the post of his SA Public Communications, the president said he wants Daniel Bwala.
Yes, that Daniel Bwala.The one who accused President Tinubu of massive corruption.
He was the spokesperson of the Atiku campaign council. He said the anti-graft agency needs to address the nation on its findings about Tinubu.
His words: “A few years ago, the former Managing Director of Alpha Beta lodged a petition at the EFCC against the former governor of Lagos state and now a presidential candidate of APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
“The petition involves massive corruption and misappropriation of funds belonging to the government of Lagos state, abuse of official office, and conflict of interests. The said petition raised issues bordering on a wide range of corruption allegations. We call on the EFCC to address the nation on their findings of the investigation, which we believe is long overdue.”
He also spoke on the forfeiture of the sum of $660,000 by Tinubu to the United States authorities over a drug and narcotic-related case, stressing the danger of drugs to the survival of Nigeria.
Quite annoying that this is the same person, sharing a portfolio with a former Minister for Sports, Sunday Dare. What has Bwala communicated ever since he was appointed?
This is the man Mr. Tinubu has selected to lead his Public Communications and Media, a position whose role could cause the most trouble for any president with corrupt intent. Even for Mr. President, it was a stunning demonstration of his disregard for basic competence and government experience and of his duty to lead the executive branch in a sober and patriotic way. These appointments are skewed and tend to be groundless and, are, in all probability, stirred by personal or partisan political calculations. However, not all gripes can be deemed frivolous and summarily dismissed. As a matter of fact, allegations of favouritism in personnel selection are likely to be well-founded.
