Folarin Kehinde

Details have emerged about the sudden exit of Ajuri Ngelale, former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity.

Contrary to his claim of resigning due to a “vexatious medical situation” in his family, a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) has exposed that Ngelale was actually fired by the presidency.

According to highly-placed sources within the presidency, Ngelale’s departure was a result of a long-standing power tussle with Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.

The feud between the two officials had been ongoing since Tinubu’s election in 2023, with Ngelale reportedly considering himself superior due to his prior experience in government.

“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 disclosed.

“He was fired; I became aware of this on 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.”

The source went on to disclose that there were interventions made with the aim of settling the issue but Ngalale was bent at reconciliation.

“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 said.

“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.”

The report reveals that Ngelale’s relationship with Onanuga was strained, and he even blocked Onanuga from having an office of his own until recently.

A source close to the presidency said Onanuga, despite being formally appointed in October 2023 “was a squatter in the presidency and 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 Zacheus Adedeji when they were still advisers.

Rahman is the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Zacheus Adedeji is the special adviser on revenue while Wale Edun is special adviser on monetary policy. All three advisers were appointed months before Onanuga’s appointment.

Sources also revealed that Ngelale’s appointment was facilitated by his connection to Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, and Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff.

The sources said his backings gave him the entitlement in the presidency. According to a source, “It was about how he got the job.”

How Ajuri ingratiated himself with Tinubu
“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.”

It is also understood that staff at the presidential villa and civil servants involved in the president’s communication strategy were aware of the strained relationship between Ngelale and Onanuga. As a result, they felt caught in the middle, believing that collaborating with one individual would lead the other to perceive them as adversary.

“This meant thework of publicising 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.”

“He did not have a good relationship with journalists. Ask the reporters; ask the state house correspondents. And also ask editors,” the source added.

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

It can be recalled that Ngalale in his letter of resignation said, “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 added that he 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”.