Ajuri Ngelale, the immediate past Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu did not resign his position to tend to a “vexatious medical situation” in his family as claimed, but fired by the presidency, it was learnt. He was only allowed to publicly resign after his repeated pleas for a soft landing.

A FACE-SAVING COVER-UP

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

“While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonising decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson of 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.”

He continued, “I looked forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit”, and respectfully asked “for some privacy for my family and I [sic] during this time”.

But impeccable sources in and around the presidency told FIJ on Saturday, September 7, 2024, that Ngelale’s exit was not as a result of family health issue but rather his loss in a power tussle with Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.

LONG-RUNNING FEUD WITH ONANUGA

FIJ understands that following the election of Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s President in 2023, Ngelale did not exactly hit it off with Onanuga, largely because having been in government before Onanuga — President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Ngelale his Senior Special Adviser on public affairs in 2019 and he served in this position until the end of Buhari’s tenure — he considered himself Onanuga’s boss.

Ngelale, 38, began his career with the Africa Independent Television (AIT) in the 2000s, while Onanuga, 67, a former Managing Director of the News Agency of NJigeria (NAN), began his career in the 1980s. There was one problem, though: while Ngelale was Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Onanuga was the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.

It was gathered that civil servants found the roles confusing. Unlike Buhari administration when Femi Adesina was the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity and Garba Shehu the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity. In the latter case, everyone knew Adesina, as SA, was senior, while Shehu, as SSA, was subordinate.

Ngelale and Onanuga both had Special Adviser roles; and the portfolios seemed similar. However, by design, the civil service structure of the Villa reported to the SA media, and that was Ngelale.

FAVOURITE OF THE PRESIDENT — AND HIS SON

“Ngelale considered himself untouchable because he had the backing of the President’s son Seyi and Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff,” one source who craved not to be named told journalists.

“He was fired; I became aware of this last Tuesday, but I won’t rule out the possibility that it happened earlier. When he got the letter, he started to plead to be allowed to resign as a soft landing. He was eventually given a soft landing, which is understandable. News of his sacking in public would have thoroughly embarrassed not just Ngelale but the presidency too.”

Although the source expressed regrets that things eventually got to a head, they conceded that there was no other way out, given Ngelale’s unwillingness to discuss his long-drawn-out feud with Onanuga when he had the opportunities.

“The Ngelale-Onanuga feud was no secret in the villa, so several top appointees and cabinet members attempted to intervene at separate times; and while Onanuga was open to peace talks, Ngelale wasn’t,” the source continued.

“For example, Mohammed Idris Malagi, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, called for talks four times. Onanuga was willing to attend but Ngelale snubbed them all, always claiming he was busy.”

‘BLOCKING ONANUGA’ FROM HAVING AN OFFICE

Civil servants who did not want their names in print, as well as a source familiar with happenings in the presidency told FIJ that Onanuga, despite being formally appointed in October 2023 “did not have an office of his own until just a few months ago”.

“When Onanuga was appointed, he had no office. He was squatting in Tunde Rahman’s office,” said one of the sources. “It was just recently that he eventually got an office that belonged to either Wale Edun or Zaccheus Adedeji when they were still advisers.

Rahman, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, was appointed in July 2023 — three months earlier than Onanuga’s appointment. Meanwhile, Zaccheus Adedeji was appointed Special Adviser on Revenue while Wale Edun was appointed Special Adviser on Monetary Policy in June 2023.

These were people who had been with Tinubu for decades, unlike Ngelale, so how did Ngelale become so powerful that he got appointed earlier, blocked Onanuga from having an office to himself and all the aforementioned appointees could not fix Onanuga an office?

Information has it that Ngelale had the backing of Seyi Tinubu and Gbajabiamila, but a third source even wondered, saying: “It was about how he got the job.”

SO, HOW?

“During the 2023 Presidential electioneering, Jumoke Oduwole, the Special Adviser on Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), introduced Ngelale to Gbajabiamila,” said the source.

“When Ngelale got there, he met Seyi. He told Seyi he would facilitate a CNN interview during which Tinubu’s presidential ambition would be discussed. Seyi thought it was impossible, but Ngelale did it. He secured the interview on CNN. He then told Seyi the time and date it would air. Seyi promised Ngelale that Tinubu would phone him if he pulled it off. Immediately after the interview was aired, Tinubu called Ngelale.

“When Tinubu won the election, Ngelale was abroad. People told him to return home but he said no; he insisted he would get his own appointment once he arrived in the country. And that was exactly what happened: Ngelale’s appointment by Tinubu was announced days after his return to Nigeria.

“Conversely, Gbajabiamila delayed the announcement of Onanuga’s appointment for at least two months. It required Chief Bisi Akande, who originally made the case for Onanuga’s appointment, to return to Tinubu for follow-up conversations. That was when Tinubu ordered that Onanuga’s appointment should be made, and that was how Onanuga came to the Villa.”

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK

It was gathered that Villa staff and civil servants whose work related to the president’s communication strategy noticed the tension between Ngelale and Onanuga and thought if they worked with one, then the other would think they were against him.

“This meant the work of publicizing the President’s progressive policies was derailed,” said the source.

“By the way, Ngelale instructed civil servants that no statement from Onanuga could go out if he had not personally cleared it. If you speak with sources across divides, they would tell you Onanuga was the more peace-seeking of the duo. But this particular order from Ngelale to civil servants annoyed Onanuga.”

FIJ understands Ngelale’s standing with Tinubu started to plummet once it was easy to pitch to the President how Ngelale’s unharmonious relationship not just with Onanuga but with the media was hindering good publicity for the President.

“He did not have a good relationship with journalists. Ask the reporters; ask the State House Correspondents. And also ask Editors,” added the source.

“Many people consider him disrespectful and arrogant, even the editors. You can hardly find any important editor in Nigeria who likes or regards Ngelale.”

NGELALE, ONANUGA MUM

FIJ sent a text and WhatsApp messages to Ngelale, seeking his comments, but they were not replied to. Aso cellular and WhatsApp calls were made to Ngelale’s number, but none was answered.

When FIJ repeated the process with Onanuga, the outcome was the same.

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