This individual has done more public relations work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu than most of his ministers and agency heads combined. President Tinubu, a seasoned friend of the media, fully understands the vital role the media plays in politics. He established The Nation newspaper, TVC, and several radio stations across Nigeria to bolster his communication strategies.
Given this deep understanding, it is surprising that after becoming president, he assembled one of the least effective media teams in Nigeria’s history. Only a few ministers, such as those in Aviation, Works, and Interior, have been actively informing the public about their achievements. The rest seem more interested in self-aggrandizement, projecting themselves as more important than even the president.
Instead of focusing on serving the people, some of these officials are reportedly using their positions to amass wealth by proxy. They are allegedly packaging deals through more than twenty companies to corner contracts from the ministries they head. London, for instance, has become like a second home to them, as they jet off every weekend, hiding their ill-gotten wealth abroad. Ironically, these same officials had not visited London in the past four years before their appointments. Now, the companies of their personal friends and partners are monopolizing contracts in their ministries.
A day of reckoning is inevitable. These ministers and agency heads are not safeguarding President Tinubu’s legacy but actively damaging it. By engaging in corrupt practices and hoarding money in foreign banks, they are not just betraying the president; they are contributing to the impoverishment of the nation.
President Tinubu should scrutinize the travel history of his cabinet members. He should question why these officials are junketing around the world while the people they are supposed to serve can hardly afford three square meals. If the Minister of Petroleum, the Minister of Information, the NNPC staff, or even the president’s own spokesperson communicated with the public as effectively as the PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, Nigerians would be much more informed about the oil and gas sector.
But instead, the silence is deafening. These political appointees have assumed a sense of entitlement and importance solely due to their offices, not because of any inherent merit. The calls from Nigerians seeking clarity or assistance now irritate them. Most of these so-called leaders have never accomplished anything of note in their lives beyond riding on the coattails of Tinubu’s success. Without his influence, they would never have dreamed of securing such prestigious appointments.
We, the people, are watching. The money you fresh thieves are hoarding in London and other Western nations will be returned to Nigeria someday. History does not forget, and justice has a way of catching up.
I urge you to listen to the intervention by the PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, in the video below. He provided much-needed clarity on the Dangote vs NNPCL crude supply issue—something President Tinubu’s ministers and agency heads have utterly failed to do.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
