Building a team was one of the major talking points of the
president and his handlers during the campaign. He was quick to remind the
citizens of the cabinet he assembled during his tenure as the governor of Lagos
State.
Nigerians were expecting this “team” that would transform
the country.
However, when the president finally produced the team, the
list got mixed reactions.
Meanwhile, the sudden removal of Maryam Shetty shortly
before her screening gave the impression of a disorganised villa. The
last-minute addition of Festus Keyamo sent the wrong signal.
Also, the debacle over the screening of former governor
Nasir El-Rufai further reinforced the argument of a disorganized team of the
president.
Four of the nominees did not scale the screening, while two
of them had question marks on their NYSC certificates.
Finally, the changing of portfolios of the ministers before
the inauguration was viewed by many as a lack of preparation by the president
and his handlers.
Betta Edu
The suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu
gave the administration its first litmus test of dealing with corruption.
During the campaign, Ms Edu was very close to the president,
and she was one of the people who answered questions for the president during
the discourse at the Chatham House in London.
So, her nomination and allocation of the powerful ministry
did not come as a surprise to many. Alas, the minister slipped on a banana peel
shortly in the administration.
Some of the revelations that came out of the ministry and
the NSIP gave the administration some serious embarrassment. For instance, the
minister approved the payment of over N500 million into private accounts.
The government was swift in sending the young minister on
suspension and ordered a total review of the ministry and all the humanitarian
interventions.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, was also
linked to the scandal; however, he survived by dissociating himself from the
company involved, stating that though the company belonged to him, he resigned
in 2019 when he was elected
Presidential yacht
Allocation of billions for the procurement of a
“presidential yacht” by the Navy gave the Tinubu’s administration some serious
blow as headlines in major newspapers portrayed a government that is
insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
Subsequently, the explanation that the yacht was not a
“luxurious yacht for the pleasure of the president” did not sway many, who have
observed a pattern in the administration in terms of preaching austerity
measures to the citizens while the presidency lives in luxury.
Dubai visa
announcement
Shortly after a meeting with the leadership of the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), the handlers of the president announced the immediate
lifting of the visa ban imposed by the Emirates.
Many lauded the president for his deft diplomatic move to
resolve the problem. Nigerians uploaded pictures of them celebrating the win.
Some airline booking sites even added Lagos-Dubai routes on their website
However, the announcement by the aides turned out to be
false. Several international and local media organizations subsequently
debunked the report.
Seyi Tinubu using
presidential jet to watch polo
The influence of Seyi Tinubu in the government of his father
has consistently put the administration in a bad light.
When the president’s son travelled in one of the presidential
jets to watch a polo match in Kano, the government was slammed by critics.
Pundits on television stations have also raised questions on
how the children of the president often follow their father to state visits.
Breakdown of
presidential jets
Recently, President Tinubu had to charter a commercial
flight from the Netherlands to Saudi Arabia following the breakdown of the
Airforce One.
Also, the vice president, Kashim Shettima had to cancel a
foreign trip because of the need to repair his jet.
The government was ridiculed by the opposition lawmakers in
the House of Representatives, who asked the president to use either commercial
planes or buses for trips.
There is currently an ongoing investigation into the status
of the presidential fleets by the House Committee on National Security and
Intelligence.
COP28 and the huge
delegation
Last year, almost everyone that counts in the administration
was in Dubai for the climate change summit. Even actress Toke Makinwa, who has
no footprint on climate change, was also pictured in Dubai.
It was later revealed that Nigeria’s 1,411 delegates was one
of the highest at the summit, but many Nigerians expressed concerns over the
development because of the economic situation in Nigeria.
However, the government claimed that it funded only 422
people.
Months later, the president announced a cut on his
travelling entourage and did the same to major officials around him.
Coastal Road Project
The N15 trillion coastal road from Lagos-Calabar was
initiated to be the legacy project of the administration. However, it has been
marred in controversy.
The controversy over the alignment of the road cost many
home and business owners in some parts of Lagos.
After the demolition of some hospitality outfits in the new
alignment, the government announced it’s going to revert to the old alignment
from kilometres 16-25 due to the presence of some marine cable.
Opposition figures like Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar have
condemned the president over the process of the construction of that road.
Cybersecurity levy
This levy also highlights a lack of coordination within the
administration of President Tinubu.
It would be recalled that the National Security Adviser,
Nuhu Ribadu had ordered the full implementation of the Cybercrime Act.
The CBN subsequently issued a circular to all commercial
banks for the payment of the 0.005 levy on all transactions.
After public outrage over the policy, the House of
Representatives passed a resolution that the government misinterpreted the law,
and called for a halt in implementation.
President Tinubu later called for the suspension of the law
for further review.
Fake news from the
villa
In the one year of the administration, the communication
team of the president has been a major source of embarrassment to the
government, churning out false news and statements to the press.
The media team stated in September that Tinubu was the first
African leader to ring the closing bell of the National Association of
Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (NASDAQ).
However, Jakaya Kiwete, former president of Tanzania, rang
the NASDAQ closing bell in 2011.
In a statement, the presidency later said the error was
“deeply regretted”.
The same team announced the $600 million investment by A.P.
However, the company later debunked it.
Less than 24 hours ago, the two main spokespersons, Bayo
Onanuga and Ajuri Ngelale issued two conflicting statements on the president
addressing the joint session of the National Assembly.
Mr Onanuga had issued a statement that the president,
alongside the former Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar, David Mark and Femi
Gbajabiamila is going to address the joint session, however, Ngalale issued a
counter statement that the president won’t address the joint session.
