Fela Durotoye, renowned Nigerian public speaker and leadership coach, has addressed widespread misconceptions regarding his alleged current appointment as an aide to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He clarified that his tenure as Senior Special Assistant on National Values and Social Justice (SSA-NVSJ) ended in March 2024, just six months after his initial appointment in October 2023.
The clarification comes in response to a viral 13-man list circulating on social media that named Durotoye one of the president’s media aides, The Cable reported.
The list sparked criticism of President Tinubu’s administration for allegedly appointing numerous media personnel, raising concerns about governance costs.
Reacting to this development, Durotoye said:
“Like many other issues in public discourse, social commentary often has the tendency to overgeneralize; and broad assumptions may sometimes lead to errors of misconceptions, misstatements, and misinformation,”
Durotoye: How I served Tinubu for months free of charge
Durotoye explained that his brief tenure as a presidential aide was a patriotic service, undertaken without compensation, The Punch reported.
“For clarity, I served briefly in the role of Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Values and Social Justice for a tenure of six months, from October 2023 to March 2024,” he said.
The leadership coach further disclosed that he deliberately opted out of receiving a salary or allowances during his tenure, emphasizing his commitment to serving Nigeria selflessly.
He said:
“When I was invited to serve in this administration, I expressed, as a condition for accepting the call, my desire to NOT receive a salary from the government, as I considered this to be my service to my nation.”
Addressing the controversy, Durotoye reiterated the importance of accuracy in public discussions.
Durotoye stressed that his name being listed among current presidential aides was outdated and should not be linked to the president’s current media team.
Tinubu sacks PTAD boss appointed last year
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Tinubu has made a significant change in leadership at the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), sacking Chioma Ejikeme as the executive secretary and replacing her with Tolulope Abiodun Odunaiya.
This move comes just 13 months after Ejikeme was reappointed for a second term, effective October 10, 2023. PTAD spokesman Olugbenga Ajayi did not disclose the reason behind her removal.
