Details have emerged why Mr Ajuri Ngelale, the broadcast journalist whose eloquence paved way for in the administration of President Bola Tinubu abruptly stepped down as the presidential spokesman on Saturday.
Contrary to the medical reason he cited for stepping down, it has been revealed that he left the position after he became suspicious that he could be unceremoniously booted out of office by the power that be.
Presidential sources according to Premium Times said the journalist has so far failed to demonstrate enough capacity to effectively deliver on the job.
Mr Ngelale before now, 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.
Senator 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.
While taking advantage of 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 statement announcing the appointment without recourse to the SGF, a development that enlarged the camp of his “enemies”. An enraged Akume immediately 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.
Also, the climate change role angered stakeholders in the sector who saw it as “power grab” and a violation of extant laws.
This exchange and subsequent events that happened in the presidential villa dazed Mr Ngelale.
For weeks, he was blocked from meeting Mr Tinubu and was also not included in the president’s delegation to China.
Mr Tinubu, who took over the baton of leadership last year, appointed Mr Ngelale as his spokesman 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.
Sources in the presidency said 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.
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.
