Details have emerged regarding why Ajuri Ngelale, the spokesperson of President Bola Tinubu, stepped down from his position on Saturday.
While Mr Ngelale said he was stepping aside to deal with medical matters affecting his family, he left the position after he became suspicious that he could be humiliated out of office.
The presidency has been shopping for an experienced and competent media professional to replace Mr Ngelale in the past weeks. Administration insiders say the journalist has so far failed to demonstrate sufficient capacity to effectively deliver on the job.
Mr Ngelale held two key positions simultaneously – special adviser to the president on media and publicity and special presidential envoy on climate action/ chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
However, sources said, the presidency recently directed Mr Ngelale to focus on his climate action role while another individual is appointed to serve as media adviser and spokesperson to the president.
But when Mr Ngelale expressed a preference to retain the media adviser position while stepping down from the Climate change role, the presidency declined.
Those familiar with the matter said he was told he could remain on the president’s media team but that he would still have to be bossed by a new appointee to the position.
This exchange and subsequent events that happened in the presidential villa rattled Mr Ngelale. For weeks, he was blocked from meeting Mr Tinubu and was also not included in the president’s delegation to China, our sources said.
President Tinubu, who came to power last year, appointed Mr Ngelale as his spokesperson in August 2023, urging him to bring his wealth of experience to the assignment.
But not long after the appointment, sources said it became clear to the president, his son and some members of his cabinet that Mr Ngelale lacked the requisite “experience, contacts and networks” needed for the job.
Before becoming Mr Tinubu’s media adviser, Mr Ngelale was one of the spokespersons for the presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He started his journalism career in 2011 as a broadcaster with the Africa Independent Television and later with Channels TV. His total media experience is below eight years.
Mr Ngelale previously served as senior special assistant on public affairs in the office of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Sources in the presidency said that when Mr Ngelale saw that he could no longer access the president, he decided to withdraw from the job. “He was basically isolated even by those who brought him to take the position,” one of our sources said.
President Tinubu and his team expected better performance from Mr Ngelale, presidency insiders said.
“Except for his occasional TV appearances, Mr Ngelale was unreachable even to journalists,” an official said. “He hardly responds to messages or return calls.”
Another official said the spokesperson had little contact with local and international media and commanded little respect from media owners, editors, and leading journalists in Nigeria.
“It is a misnomer and a miscalculation for the President to have appointed such a junior journalist to such a senior position. It is no surprise that he could not deliver as expected,” the official said.
Last year, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) queried Mr Ngelale’s qualifications and competence as the president’s spokesperson.
The NIPR said Mr Ngelale was not ‘fit’ to hold that “exalted position” because he lacked the basic “knowledge and requisite training on public relations.”
In a statement on Saturday night, President Tinubu accepted Mr Ngelale’s exit plan and “sympathises with the circumstances that have led to this seemingly difficult decision.” Mr Tinubu extended his heartfelt prayers and best wishes to Mr Ngelale and his family during this challenging moment.
Mr Ngelale said his decision to depart was “agonising” even though it was taken after “significant consultations” with family over the past several days.
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