Tinubu Strengthens Media Team, Appoints Durotoye, Four Others

•1,000 media aides can’t save your reputation, says Shaibu

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

In an obvious move designed to contain his continuing image crisis, especially the unceasing Chicago State University certificate crisis, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, strengthened his Presidential Media Advisory Team, with the appointment of five new hands.

A release by the Media Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, stated that the new hands would serve in the Office of the President under the Media & Publicity Directorate with full respect for the tenets of Nigeria’s federal character principle and the supremacy of merit.

Those newly onboard included the ace public speaker and former Presidential candidate of Alliance for a New Nigeria (ANN), Mr Fela Durotoye as the Senior Special Assistant to the President — National Values & Social Justice.

Other appointees were former Deputy Editor of The Cable and publisher of public interest newspaper, The Link, Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement) and Senate Correspondent of Channels Television, Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Strategic Communications).

Also, on the team were the Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) pressure group, APC Rebirth, Mr. Aliyu Audu as the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Mr. Francis Adah Abah, Personal Assistant to the President on Special Duties.

Tinubu also approved the secondment of Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe to serve as the Communications Adviser to the President of the ECOWAS Commission.

The president tasked the new appointees, who were serving in the Media & Publicity directorate to uphold the highest standards of decorum and decency in their engagements with all members of the public as they advanced his determined bid to renew the hope of Nigerians in a restructured economy and unified society that catered sufficiently to the needs of all, regardless of any differences.

Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has told President Bola Tinubu, that not even a thousand media aides could save his already sinking reputation.

Shaibu, in a statement yesterday reacted to the establishment of a new media directorate and the appointment of an additional five aides by the Tinubu administration.

Shaibu said the appointments were a confirmation of his September 18 statement, where he revealed that the Tinubu government was on the verge of unleashing a propaganda unit.

He said, “I warned on September 18 that the Tinubu government was getting frustrated after being exposed for their many lies and that they would set up a propaganda unit.

“Now they have established a media and publicity directorate. This brings to 20 the number of media advisers appointed by Tinubu. In fact, about three of these appointees hold the exact same portfolio.

“We understand the desperation by Tinubu’s government, which is currently facing a huge certificate forgery scandal and is about to be drowned by the files that the FBI will release regarding his heroin case in the United States.

“For a government that claims to be focused on fiscal discipline, it has appointed the largest number of non-statutory appointments. Isn’t it ironic that Tinubu has more media advisers than economic aides? It is obvious that he plans to use propaganda to rule. No wonder he has held only one cabinet meeting in five months.

“Tinubu and his lackeys must, however, understand that no matter the air freshener you use in spraying excreta, the stench can never go away. No amount of image laundering can save his sinking image,” he added.

Shaibu, however, said, “With the latest appointment, Tinubu now has over 20 media aides, the highest in the history of Nigeria. But propaganda can only go so far. Propaganda cannot put food on the table of the poor; it cannot make their infrastructure better; it cannot solve insecurity, and it definitely cannot bring in circumspect foreign investors.

“They can only, like the character, Squealer, in Animal Farm, succeed at increasing the quantities of food available to the community only on paper.”