Presidential Villa: 90 days after Tinubu's inauguration

In politics, over the years, “vested interest” has continued to play dominant roles in accessing and dispensing political patronage.

The first three months of President Bola Tinubu witnessed intense lobbying for strategic positions, as the All-Progressive Congress (APC) and Tinubu’s close political allies battle for the spoils of victory, after the 2023 general election.

Tinubu’s emergence followed strong backroom deals, heavy lobbying of those at the helms of the ruling All Progressives Congress, with the governors playing dominant roles

This strong political horse-trading saw him choosing a Muslim running mate to please the powerfully centrifugal religious forces in the north, in a political system that is characterised by ethnic, tribal and primordial divides and patronage

Thus, in other not to kiss out of the distribution of spoils of victory, President Tinubu’s first three months saw the emergence of intense lobbying by those who believe that the juicy part of the spoils must first go to those who backed his emergence, as against considerations for the large number of economically struggling members of Nigerian voters

Harold Lasswell, an American political scientist and communications theorist, had viewed politics as the interplay of actions which determines “Who gets what, when and how.”

Perhaps, it was this concept that also influenced former President Olusegun Obasanjo to warn his kinsmen against developing political apathy, during his tenure.

Obasanjo had while battling to secure the support of the Yorubas for his administration, said that in the art of governance “If you are not at the centre of action, you won’t know how the sharing formula was arrived at, and in extreme cases, you may not get your share.”

Several years after independence, Nigeria has continued to battle the politics of ethnicity, primordial, sectional and nepotistic maladies, that have impaired development.

Thus, it is not uncommon to hear such sayings like “he is one of our own” “Our man is there now” and the latest in the Nigeria’s political lexicon” Emilokan” or better still “awa lokan” literally meaning “ it is my turn” or “our turn.”

Nigeria’s fragile federal structure is characterised by lopsided and imbalanced access to the “commonwealth.”

But to check this, Section 14(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended, prescribed and established the federal character system.

According to that section, “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies.’’

Based on the above, the purpose of the federal character was to prevent the dominance by any sectional group, be it ethnic, geographic or religious, in the country’s political governance.

Also, in Section 147 [3] of the Nigerian Constitution, mandates the federal government to ensure that appointments of Ministers reflect the number of states of the federation and FCT, to satisfy the federal character of Nigeria in appointments to public offices.

An assessment of the President’s appointments so far, however, indicates that there has been no clear departure from the old order, a system that almost allows for a “winner takes all” approach

Expectedly, President Tinubu’s programme in his early days in office was controlled by a team of personal aides, close friends and family members who constituted a small “cabal” headed by Wale Edu, now Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Dele Alake, now Minister of Solid Minerals Development and later, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff ( CoS) to the President

Until the recent appointment of Ajuri Ngelale as the President’s Spokesman, his retinue of aides were largely made up of those from one ethnic group; that is in the President’s appointment of senior special assistants (SSAs), personal assistants (PAs), personal physician, and photographers.

The new appointees include Tunde Rahman, who has been designated SSA (Media); Abdulaziz Abdulaziz is SSA on Print Media, the SSA Political will be handled by Ibrahim Masari, Adekunle Tinubu is Personal Physician, Damilotun Aderemi is Senior Special Assistant (Private Secretary) and Toyin Subair – Senior Special Assistant (Domestic).

Senior Special Assistant (Digital/New Media) went to O’tega Ogra, Demola Oshodi is Senior Special Assistant (Protocol); Tope Ajayi – Senior Special Assistant (Media & Public Affairs); Yetunde Sekoni – Senior Special Assistant; Motunrayo Jinadu – Senior Special Assistant; Segun Dada – Special Assistant (social media); and Paul Adekanye – Special Assistant (Logistics).

Others are Friday Soton, Special Assistant (Housekeeping); Special Assistant (Catering) is Shitta-Bey Akande, Nosa Asemota as Special Assistant (Visual Communication) Personal Photographer and Kamal Yusuf will be the Personal Assistant for Special Duties to the president

The President had also named Adeniyi Adewale, a Yoruba man, as the Ag. Comptroller General of the Nigeria Custom Service, Kayode Egbetokun as the acting Inspector General of Police, the President also appointed Folashodun Shonubi, as the acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), following the removal of Godwin Emefiele.

In an effort to have full grip of the security forces at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President appointed his kinsman, Adebisi Onasanya, a Colonel, as the Commander, elite Guards Brigade, that provide personal protection for the President.

He also appointed Moshood Yusuf, a Lieutenant Colonel, as Commander, 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health, Olufunso Adebiyi has been redeployed to the State House and has assumed duties after handing over ceremony at the Ministry on Friday 11 August 2023.

Bisoye Coker-Odusote is the general manager/CEO of the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) who has been appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Director General (DG) of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Coker-Odusote had previously worked as a Special Adviser on Technology to President Tinubu, when he was the Governor of Lagos, from 1999-2007

On Friday, the President also named Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) for a term of four years.

All the above appointees are of the Yoruba stck.

Others include Auwalu Inuwa, Commander, 177, Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Mohammed J. Abdulkarim, Commander, 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger and Olumide A. Akingbesote, as Commander, 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja, all, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs.

Other Military Officers appointed in the Presidential Villa, include Isa Farouk Audu, (KN/14695), a Major, as the Commanding Officer, State House Artillery, Kazeem Sunmonu (N/16183), a Captain as Second-in-Command, State Ho Artillery, while Kamaru Hamzat (N/14656), also a Major, as the Commanding Officer, State House Military Intelligence.

This is just as TS Adeola (N/12860), a Major, takes over as Commanding Officer, State House Armament, A. Aminu (N/18578), a Lieutenant, as Second-in- Command, State House Armament.