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Tag: Presidential Aide

  • ‘He scammed multiple people using that office’ – Fresh revelations behind Fegho’s sack emerge

    ‘He scammed multiple people using that office’ – Fresh revelations behind Fegho’s sack emerge

    Sources have opened up on more reasons behind the recent sack of Fegho Umunubo, the former Special Assistant on Digital and Creative Economy under Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

    According to presidential sources, Umunubo was fired from office after he reportedly used his presidential office to scam numerous film makers in the creative industry.

    The source also disclosed that Umunubo’ questionable sponsorship agreements with filmmakers and creatives, where he promised government-backed funding and visibility was amongst his ‘sins.’

    One of the most notable cases involved Arese Ugwu, author and creator of The Smart Money Woman series. In the documents seen, showed Umunubo, acting in his official capacity, where he signed a deal pledging ₦10 million sponsorship for the premiere and marketing of Lara Unlimited, a spin-off of Ugwu’s work.

    The agreement also granted the presidency’s digital economy office extensive promotional rights, including branding on event backdrops and movie posters, a 30–45 second advert before screenings, podcast features, and influencer shoutouts. However, the pledge was never honoured.

    On August 30, Ms Ugwu publicly accused Umunubo of fraud in a post on Instagram.

    She wrote, “Just so it’s clear that I’m not crashing out over ₦5 million naira as Fegho Umunubo would like you to believe.

    “He owes me ₦10 million, but this is about something bigger… It’s about dangling a fund of $617 million and another of ₦5 billion for over 12 months… playing games with my resilience when I was trying so hard to pivot from the gbese I was already in. Then finding out that he had no authorisation to be signing the agreements he was signing or making the promises he was making on behalf of the Vice President of Nigeria.”

    Presidency insiders alleged that Ugwu’s case was not an isolated incident.

    “He scammed multiple people in the industry using that office,” a source said, alleging that Umunubo consistently leveraged his proximity to power to lure Nollywood practitioners into similar deals that never materialised.

    Umunubo was quietly relieved of his duties in August but, according to sources, continued to parade himself as a presidential aide.

    This prompted the State House to issue a public notice on Monday formally announcing his disengagement.

  • Presidential aide resigns days after urging patience with Tinubu

    Presidential aide resigns days after urging patience with Tinubu

    The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu has resigned.

    In his resignation letter dated June 8, 2025, Audu thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve but did not give specific reasons for his abrupt departure.

    “I write to formally tender my resignation as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, effective immediately,” the letter read.

    Audu was appointed on October 9, 2023, on the recommendation of Tinubu’s former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

    He added, I am equally thankful to Your Excellency for graciously approving my appointment on the 9th of October, 2023.

    “It has been an honour to contribute to the public communication efforts of this administration. Please accept the assurances of my highest esteem and continued prayers for the success of your leadership and the progress of our beloved nation,” he wrote.

    However, following the resignation, a personal statement credited to Audu surfaced online, in which he spoke on the reason for his exit.

    It reads: “I have seen many comments about my resignation and I must say it is not act of rebellion but of conscience.

    “Though I do not align with the PDP, I refuse to be used directly or indirectly as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party state. That would be a betrayal of both divine favour and democratic principle.

    “After all that God has done for us as a nation, especially in these times, we owe it to Him and to posterity to uphold values that reflect justice, balance, and liberty. True democracy thrives on healthy competition, not political domination.

    “If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticized under Obasanjo in 2003. Such a path is not only politically reckless; it is spiritually dangerous.”

    “Suppressing alternative voices is not leadership but it is regression. And it runs contrary to the divine order, which upholds freedom of choice and diversity of thought. God, in His wisdom, allows even belief and disbelief to coexist. Why then should we, mere mortals, fear ideological pluralism?

    “Let us build a Nigeria where our strength lies not in uniformity, but in the maturity to compete with ideas, vision, and integrity. Only then can we truly say we are progressing. May Allah SWT forgive us our shortcomings and direct us on the path of righteousness.

    “I will continue to support our government in power not just because I helped bring it but also because I believe in the success recorded in the area of economic reforms.

    “We just differ on political views as I pride myself with being a progressive and a promoter of democratic values which seems to be lost in the unholy alliance of PBAT with Wike.

    “That does not mean our gbas gbos will seize o. We still here for the attacks and counterattacks.”

    Meanwhile, Audu’s resignation comes just a week after his appearance on Channels Television’s The Beam, where he defended the Tinubu administration’s policies and urged Nigerians to be patient with the president’s economic reforms.

    “I honestly think that in another four to six years, a lot of jobs will be created,” he said.

    “The president recently launched the Nigerian Credit Guarantee Scheme with an initial startup fund of ₦100 billion. What this does is improve the spending power of the average Nigerian,” he explained.

    “There are certain processes in terms of mission building, moving from underdevelopment to being developed. We have examples across the world. It took an average of 35 years for Singapore, 50 years for India, and a couple of others. But we are Nigerians, we are different. It doesn’t have to take that long,” he said on the programme on June 2.

  • Presidential Adviser Ajuri Ngelale affirms Nigerians’ right to protest

    Presidential Adviser Ajuri Ngelale affirms Nigerians’ right to protest

    Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, stated that citizens’ right to protest cannot be curtailed.

     

    During an interview on the TVC program *Politics on Sunday* with Femi Akande, Ngelale addressed concerns regarding the Tinubu government’s stance on peaceful protests scheduled for August 1-10.

     

    Ngelale emphasized that the administration does not seek to “dominate” Nigerians, saying, “Let me be clear: we are not in office to dominate our people; we are here to serve them.” He insisted that no part of the administration “has the authority” to stop Nigerians from protesting, affirming, “No one in our administration has the authority to deny Nigerians their right to peaceful protest.”

     

    However, he acknowledged concerns about the potential for the protests to be hijacked, similar to the #EndSARS movement of 2020.

  • Post COVID-19 fund: Presidential aide faults Falana’s criticism

    Post COVID-19 fund: Presidential aide faults Falana’s criticism

    Mr Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, says Mr Femi Falana’s criticism of N135 billion post COVID-19 reimbursement given to 36 states in December, is misrepresentation of facts.

    Ajayi, in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos, said that Falana (SAN)  in a viral video, alluded to the sum of N135 billion given to the 36 states in December 2023 at a memorial event in honour of Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti.

    According to him, Falana allegedly exaggerated and embellished the facts.

    Ajayi said: “What the Lagos lawyer rendered in that trending video is total misrepresentation of facts.

    “He also did not tell his audience the real reason the said amount was released to the states under the World Bank-funded NG-CARES Programme.

    “Contrary to the wrong impression of wasteful and frivolous spending being conveyed to the public by Falana, it should be stressed that it is the Lagos lawyer who needs to get himself acquainted with the issue in contention.”

    Analysing the facts, Ajayi said the whole global economy was still reeling from the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with the attendant disruptions to global supply chain, “which the world is yet to fully recover from.”

    He said COVID-19 exacerbated poverty around the world, especially as a result of loss of livelihoods in rural communities and among the urban poor.

    “Post-COVID-19, the World Health Organisation and World Bank are still supporting countries to strengthen their health systems and emergency preparedness.

    “This is so that nations can be in much better position to deal with other public health emergencies that may occur in future.

    “Just last year, there was an outbreak of Diphtheria, monkeypox, and Lassa Fever in more than 20 states in Nigeria that government effectively contained.

    “In a bid to further manage the aftermath of COVID-19 in line with the framework of the WHO and the World Bank, the Federal Government, in December 2023, disbursed N135.4 billion to the states.”

    According to him, the disbursement followed Independent Assessment of results achieved under the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus Programme.

    “The money, which Falana attempted to scandalise in the viral video, was released to address social and economic crisis created by  the pandemic.

    “This is not peculiar to Nigeria. Every country in the world today is still dealing with many socio-economic problems caused by COVID-19,” he said.

    Ajayi said the aim of the NG-CARES Programme backed by World Bank, being implemented in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was to mitigate the economic and social shocks faced by vulnerable people.

    According to him, it is for vulnerable people who are yet to get their livelihoods back as a result of the lockdown occasioned by the pandemic.

    He said the project was structured as one that delivered results.

    He said that only states that had implemented the programme according to laid-down procedures prescribed in the Financing Agreement, the Funds Release Policy, and the Independent Verification Agent Protocol got reimbursement for the money already spent.

    “The money Falana mentioned with the intent to ridicule the Federal Government and incite the public against  President Bola Tinubu, was disbursed based on the results achieved by the states and FCT in their efforts at supporting poor and vulnerable Nigerians under the NG-CARES Programme.

    “The top three best performing states in the Second Round of Assessment are Nasarawa, which got N13,697,828,496.96, Cross River – N10,944,747,818.84 and Zamfara – N10,231,055,267.82,” according to NG-CARES National Coordinator, Abdulkarim Obae, in a statement.

    “While government needs critics as watchdogs for accountability and to engender more transparency in the management of public affairs and finance, that sacred duty should not be left in the hands of those who have elevated half-truths and embellishments as their article of trade.

    *Criticisms should be constructive and fact-based.”

  • Buhari’s 20-day vacation to London, fake – Presidential aide

    Buhari’s 20-day vacation to London, fake – Presidential aide

    The Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Mr Bashir Ahmed, has described as fake the social media reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on 20-day vacation to London on Saturday.

    According to reports, some online media outfits, including Saharareporters and summitpostnews, on Saturday reported that the president departed Abuja on April 9, 2022, for another three weeks vacation in London.

    The summitpostnews quoted a statement issued by one of the president’s spokesmen allegedly saying that the Nigerian leader would be back in Abuja on May 10, 2022.

    However, Ahmed on his verified twitter account on Saturday dismissed the reports, saying:

    ”The news going round that President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on a 20-day vacation trip to London is fake.

    ”The president is in Abuja and he is not planning to embark on any trip to London.”

  • ‘Nigerians benefiting from Buhari’s goodwill’

    ‘Nigerians benefiting from Buhari’s goodwill’

    Mr Ajuri Ngelale, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Public Matters, says Nigerians are benefitting from the goodwill of the President.
    Ngelale said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja while speaking on the impact of the President’s foreign trips.
    He described the President as a leader known by other nations as an incorruptible and credible leader.
    “Those trips have been extremely productive.
    “We are now benefiting from the goodwill of the president largely because of the fact that the world knows that this is an incorruptible leader – a leader with credibility and integrity.
    “And Nigerians are now benefiting from that,” he said.
    Ngelale expressed optimism that President Buhari’s foreign trips would yield positive results in the form of a stronger national economy by virtue of the bilateral agreements he signed Nigeria into.
    “President Muhammadu Buhari’s excursions to the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been very much in the interest of the country.
    “I say that because when you look at the derivables from those trips, you will realise the extent to which those trips have now added value to our nation’s economy.
    “Specifically, we are really excited about the Russian trip because we had a lot of series of negotiations that culminated in agreements that we have now signed bilaterally which are all government-to-government transactions,” he said.
    The presidential aide said that some of the sectors that would directly benefit from the bilateral agreements are solid minerals development, transport, iron ore mining, and defence.
    In the solid minerals sector, the Ajaokuta Steel Company will be resuscitated via a one-billion-dollar facility that would be shared by the Russian Federation, the Nigerian government, and the Afrexim Bank.
    According to him, in doing so, Nigeria will be able to revitalise the steel complex and stop the importation of steel.
    “We seek to industrialise our country and employ our people and lift our people out of poverty.
    “We’ll finally be able to produce our own steel,” he said.
    Ngelale added that the Buhari administration had prioritised the revival of the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) in Itapke, Kogi state.
    “So there’s a 400-million-dollar facility separate for NIOMCO for the revival of NIOMCO so that we have that iron ore supply to Ajaokuta for steel development,” he said.
    According to Ngelale, an agreement struck with the Russian government will see that country supplying Nigeria with 12 M1-35 attack helicopters which will be used in tackling security challenges confronting the country.
    “These are heavily weaponised, very stealthy, very fast attack-helicopters which will make a difference in terms of anti-piracy.
    “We are going to be getting some physical infrastructure from them in terms of gunboats, gunships, and things that will help secure our maritime territory, our coastal waters.
    “We are going to be building train cars in Nigeria thereby decongesting the ports, and taking the pressure off the roads,” he said, adding that Russian and Nigerian geoscientists would work closely to geologically map the country in a moved aimed at developing the gemstone mining sector.
    The geological mapping of the country is expected to identify the location, mass, and form that the solid minerals are in order to motivate investors and attract investments in mining, a development that will create millions of jobs for the people.
    The presidential aide said that Nigeria and Saudi Arabia had agreed to bring together top government officials that would look at viable areas of collaboration particularly in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy.
    He said that a Nigeria-Saudi Council would be established toward that end.
    Saudi Arabia’s Aramco (the world’s topmost oil and gas company) is willing to help with refinery rehabilitation, pipeline construction, the building of world-class hospitals, for the benefit of Nigerians.

  • 2019: We’ll do everything possible to ensure Buhari is reelected – Presidential aide

    Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Justice Reform, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, has vowed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will leave no stone unturned for the re-election of President Buhari in 2019.

    Ibekaku-Nwagwu made the vow in Awgu Local Government of Enugu on Sunday during a voter education organised by the Women and Youths Wings of the party.

    Flagging off the exercise tagged `Operation Show Your Voters Card’, Ms. Ibekaku-Nwagwu said that the South-East would deliver bloc votes to APC candidates come 2019 General Elections.

    “We want President Buhari to continue in 2019 and that is why we want to start early to work hard to mobilize our people and prepare their minds for the election ahead.

    “South-East especially Enugu State must be sincere enough to appreciate the timely intervention of the Buhari-led administration on Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Roads.

    “These strategic roads were abysmally neglected by the past administrations for more than 15 years even with the retinue of officials and political appointees from South-East who served in those governments,’’ she said.

    The presidential aide urged the people of the zone to support Mr. Buhari in 2019 to have a chance of producing the President in 2023 as well.

    Also speaking, the Deputy National Women Leader of APC, Tina Adike, said the South-East and Enugu State APC had already endorsed President Buhari for second term.

    Ms. Adike urged the electorate to endeavour to get their voter’s cards as it was the only way to achieve the objective.

    In his remarks, the Acting Secretary of the party in the state, Linus Okolo, said that with the current voters and membership mobilization drive of the party, the APC would definitely take over power in Enugu State come 2019.

    A chieftain of APC in Enugu West Senatorial Zone, Ben Eche, said that “Operation Show Your Voters Card’’ would be felt in all parts of the state for the people to know that the party had come to liberate them from over16 years of PDP maladministration.

    Mr. Eche regretted that many communities in the state lack rural roads, potable water and other social amenities that support community growth and urged the people to get their cards and vote candidates of their choice.

    In a welcome address, APC Enugu State Women Leader, Queen Nwankwo, said that the statewide sensitization would be far-reaching as the party had fully mobilized funds and man-power for it.

    “As this 2019 General Elections time table is out, we encourage our women and youths to make sure that they obtain their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) because that is our strength,’’ Mr. Nwankwo said.

    The state APC Youth Leader, Ikenna Oloto, appreciated the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, for supporting and motivating the youths’ wing for the exercise.

    “We are going to take this sensitization on the need to have voters’ cards door-to-door in the entire state and ensure that youths come out to vote en mass for the ruling party, where their future is greatly assured,’’ Mr. Oloto said.