Morals From ‘Injury’ Ngelale’s Downfall

By Bola BOLAWOLE
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Why “Injury” and not Ajuri? The creme-de-la-creme of the country’s media had gathered in Ibadan, the Pace Setter state and capital of Oyo State, on Friday, 7 June, 2024 for a two-day facility tour of the signature projects of the governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, as part of the activities marking the first year of his second, and final, term of office. Veterans of the media, the young and the-not-so young, traditional as well as new media, print and electronics – the assemblage was from all the country’s geo-political zones.

Assembled in the dining room of the hotel where some of us were lodged, there was hardly anyone in the room who had not had an experience with presidential aides dating back to the military era. And, then, Ajuri Ngelale’s name popped up. “Who knows anything about this Injury of a man”, I asked and everyone burst into laughter. Then, one after the other, colleagues shared whatever information they had of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential spokesperson. Unfortunately, none was salutary.

I never heard of him until his appointment; that must partly be as a result of my bias for the print media as opposed to the electronic media where he reportedly held fort. But many months in the saddle was enough for him to have criss-crossed the various gamuts of the media. Maybe he did and I was not aware of it. Editor after editor at Ibadan on that day expressed their disappointment at the aloofness of this presidential aide who did not seem to think that reaching out to editors was part of his responsibilities. I think now, he knows better!

When I first learned of Ajuri’s “stepping aside”, my mind went straight to former military President Ibrahim Babangida’s similar stepping aside of Thursday, 26 August, 1993. Both men gave the impression it was their personal decision and not that they were forced out of office or were compelled to kiss the canvass. They also spoke authoritatively as if they were able to take back the position they were (momentarily?) vacating anytime in future at their own will.

And my mind went also to John 10: 17 – 18 when Jesus said: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father”. This is the 31st year since Babangida stepped aside; if he will step back in again, maybe tomorrow! Will Ngelale’s case be different?

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Let us see how a news medium reported the breaking news: Titled “Real reason Ajuri Ngelale stepped down as Tinubu’s spokesperson”, the report ran thus: “Ngelale started his journalism career in 2011 as a broadcaster with the Africa Independent Television and later with Channels TV… While Ngelale said he was stepping aside to deal with medical matters affecting his family, (we) can report that he left the position after he became suspicious that he could be humiliated out of office.

“The presidency has been shopping for an experienced and competent media professional to replace Ngelale in the past weeks. Administration insiders say the journalist has so far failed to demonstrate sufficient capacity to effectively deliver on the job. 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 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 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 Ngelale. For weeks, he was blocked from meeting the president and was also not included in the president’s delegation to China.

“President Tinubu, who came to power last year, appointed Ngelale as his spokesperson in August 2023, urging him to bring his wealth of experience to the assignment. Government sources (disclosed that) Ngelale was appointed on the recommendation of Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son.

“But not long after the appointment, sources said it became clear to the president, his son and some
members of his cabinet that Ngelale lacked the requisite ‘experience, contacts and networks’ needed for the job. Before becoming the president’s media adviser, Ngelale was one of the spokespersons for the presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2023 general elections. He started his journalism career in 2011 as a broadcaster with the Africa Independent Television and later with Channels TV. His total media experience is below eight years.

“Ngelale previously served as senior special assistant on public affairs in the office of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Sources in the presidency said when Mr Ngelale saw that he could no longer access the president, he decided to withdraw from the job. He was basically isolated even by those who brought him to take the position, one source said.

“President Tinubu and his team expected better performance from Ngelale, presidency insiders said. ‘Except for his occasional TV appearances, Ngelale was unreachable even to journalists. He hardly responds to messages or return calls’. Another official said the spokesperson had little contact with local and international media and commanded little respect from media owners, editors, and leading journalists in Nigeria. ‘It is a misnomer and a miscalculation for the President to have appointed such a junior journalist to such a senior position. It is no surprise that he could not deliver as expected’, the official said.

“Last year, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) queried Ngelale’s qualifications and competence as the president’s spokesperson. The NIPR said Ngelale was not ‘fit’ to hold that ‘exalted position’ because he lacked the basic ‘knowledge and requisite training on public relations’.”

We return! When I first read Ngelale’s reasons for resigning – family considerations bothering on health matters – my sympathy was with him. What a honourable thing to do! They don’t resign here, even on critical health grounds. In this same country, a sitting president was ill for many months and eventually died in office. Similarly, a sitting governor was ill for months, unable to perform the functions of his office, but only death removed him from office.

This is not to mention the case of President Muhammadu Buhari who was in and out of foreign hospitals for at least 225 days! So, I honoured Ngelale’s request that we respect the privacy of his family – until I read the first surprising news of a “civil war” in the Presidency which Ngelale eventually lost, necessitating his exit.

Again, the scriptures: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelations 12: 7 – 8). Ngelale fought but could not prevail! And his place was no longer found in the Presidency!

But let me quickly disagree with the NIPR that it was not because Ajuri lacked any basic “knowledge and requisite training on public relations” that he failed; the job he was employed to do was basically a media and not public relations job. We must, therefore, search for Ajuri’s failure elsewhere.

Those who saddled a child with the head of an elephant must share in the blame. Conversely, once “agemo” gives birth to its child, knowing how to dance becomes its responsibility. You can help someone land a job, you cannot help him do the job. Be careful when things are going well for you; for the lips that shout “Adegun” today are the same that will scream “Adeogun” tomorrow. The white man that made the pencil also made an eraser.

Learn from others. Humility yields dividends. Respect elders; honour your seniors in the profession. A child that knows how to wash his hands is the one that eats with the elders. How can a 38-year-old be audacious enough to lock horns with a 67-year-old? When that Grandpa had already made his mark in the media profession, you were still running about naked in the village! That na die now, as they say! No wonder, then, that Ajuri cropped up injury knocking heads where he should not! “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and in all thy getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4: 7).

For the Presidency, the injury they suffered with the Ajuri debacle was self-inflicted. They gave a man a shoe too big for his foot. They used just one performance to arrive at a critical decision. It speaks volumes if this was what they replicated all over the place. Government is not a family business! Stop poke-nosing or you will burn your fingers again and again!

My last words are for Ajuri: The downfall of a man is not the end of his life! Life, as they say, goes on!

* Former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of The WESTERNER newsmagazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday TRIBUNE and TREASURES column in NEW TELEGRAPH newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.