Despite Ajuri Ngelale’s claim of resigning from his position as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesperson due to personal and medical reasons, new reports suggest his departure was influenced by fears of being sacked.
While Ngelale officially announced his leave of absence citing health and family concerns, the Presidency confirmed and accepted his resignation in a formal statement.
However, a report by Premium Times on Sunday revealed that Ngelale’s exit may have been tied to his alleged underperformance in the role. Sources quoted in the report claimed that some members of Tinubu’s cabinet believed Ngelale lacked the necessary “experience, contacts, and networks” required for such a high-profile position.
“It was a mistake to appoint such a junior journalist to a senior role. His inability to meet expectations was inevitable,” a source reportedly told Premium Times.
"The presidency has been shopping for an experienced and competent media professional to replace Mr Ngelale in the past weeks. Administration insiders say the journalist has so far failed to demonstrate sufficient capacity to effectively deliver on the job.
"Mr Ngelale 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.
"However, sources said, the presidency recently directed Mr Ngelale to focus on his climate action role while another individual is appointed to serve as media adviser and spokesperson to the president.
"But when Mr Ngelale expressed a preference to retain the media adviser position while stepping down from the Climate change role, the presidency declined.
Those familiar with the matter said he was told he could remain on the president’s media team but that he would still have to be bossed by a new appointee to the position.
"This exchange and subsequent events that happened in the presidential villa rattled Mr Ngelale. For weeks, he was blocked from meeting Mr Tinubu and was also not included in the president’s delegation to China", the Premium Times reported.
Additionally, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism Nigeria stated that Ngelale was, in fact, dismissed by the Presidency, contradicting his account of stepping down voluntarily. This aligns with previous criticisms from the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), which had questioned Ngelale’s qualifications for the role when he was appointed in August 2023.
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