Appointments: Between Gbajabiamila and the merchants of falsehood

Gbajabiamila
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By Seyi Bakare

FALSEHOOD is not a noble tactic, but some people don’t care. And the reason is not hard to see: ambition, vaulting ambition. People who want to have anything by force, especially political power and privileges, do not care whose name is soiled, whose family is wrecked, and whose reputation is tainted: their preoccupation is self-interest writ large. And that, quite simply, is why the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, is currently the subject of acerbic attacks by certain political actors. These naysayers have literally allocated preternatural powers to the distinguished public servant and consistently lay at his doorsteps, blame for their inability to occupy appointive office at the moment. They do not care for the fact that, as our elders say, positions come at the time destined (makan makan loye’ekan), and that “the position that has reached the people of Iwo will still reach the people of Ede.” Clearly, everybody cannot be a minister. But it has become a fad for anyone who lobbied for ministerial position but did not get it to blame it on the Chief of Staff!

Such people, to read what their foot soldiers publish daily in the media, believe that it is Gbajabiamila, and not the president acting in consultation with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governors and other key stakeholders in the polity, that appointed ministers and board chairmen, etc, etc. They are deliberately attacking Gbajabiamila, spreading falsehood against him just to discredit him and threaten his position simply because they missed out on the ministerial and other lists. The polity, they proclaim with vigour, has become Gbajanised, except that this so-called Gbajanization has no basis in reality!!

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Happily, though, Nigerians are not buying the falsehood, and that’s why sociocultural groups like the Arewa Youth Forum and Ohanaeze Youth Movement have called on Nigerians to ignore the accusations thrown at Gbajabiamila over the constitution of boards of government agencies. The youth groups in a statement by their leaders, Kabiru Yusuf, Nwabueze Obi and Ekwem Eucharia, said those attacking Hon. Gbajabiamila are just envious of progress of President Tinubu’s administration, and spreading lies to derail the Renewed Hope Agenda. They therefore appealed to Nigerians to ignore the detractors, saying that the Chief of Staff is well experienced and capable of carrying out his duties.

Fake news has a way of gaining traction where left to fester. It is no surprise, then, that the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, has had to disclaim the falsehood that he got a directive from President Tinubu to compile a new list of persons for appointment as board members of government agencies and parastatals. Faleke, the Chairman, House Committee on Finance, made the denial in a post via his Twitter account, putting a lie to the claim that President Tinubu rejected a list of board members submitted to him by some aides and ordered him to compile a fresh list of APC members who worked for his victory. With this clarification, you would think the merchants of falsehood would cut the President and his able Chief of Staff some slack. Alas, that’s decidedly not the case!

No one who is familiar with Gbajabiamila’s antecedents as a public servant with a sterling record and a stickler for truth, fairness and due process would entertain the absurdities ascribed to him for a second. The Surulere, Lagos-born politician cum technocrat comes to the present assignment fully qualified. He had been in the House of Reps for two decades (2003-2023), boasting a record of unblemished service. As lawmaker par excellence, he held many sensitive positions, including that of Leader of the Opposition, an era during which he gave such a good account of himself, articulating his opposition to oppression, bad governance and maladministration with unique candour. And when eventually he assumed the position of Speaker in the last dispensation, he used the position to build unity and love across political tendencies, leaving imperishable legacies on the sands of time.

In any case, throughout his sojourn in public service, he has been a very close and loyal disciple of the president. Indeed, one of the sterling qualities that made him head and shoulders above his peers was that he was a bridge builder par excellence, a force for competence, integrity and people-centred lawmaking. Gbajabiamila commanded such a level of respect from his colleagues that he was often referred to as a Speaker of Speakers and a leader of leaders. He welded together, new and old members of the Green Chamber, many of whom transited to the Senate while some emerged as ministers, placing Project Nigeria above partisan pursuits.

In appointing the distinguished lawmaker as Chief of Staff, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took his track record and the actualization of his Renewed Hope agenda into consideration. The National Assembly, let us recall, is a strategic organ of the democratic state; it serves checks and balance functions over other arms of government, performs oversight functions, makes laws and appropriates money to various ministries and parastatals. The 360 members of the Green Chamber and the 109 members of the Red Chamber represent the people of Nigeria. They screen and approve ministers before their assumption of office, and they invite ministers and their lieutenants to the legislative chamber for questioning over issues that need clarifications. It is a no-brainer, therefore, that any government that wants to succeed needs somebody who understands the workings of that arm of government, and pray, who is better suited for that role than a former Speaker, a lawmaker of two decades standing?

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As Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila’s job is a very challenging one. He should be allowed to do his job in peace. Casting needless aspersions on him won’t cut it. It’s too early to seek to derail the Tinubu administration with blatant falsehood. The media should be wary of the desperadoes planting negative stories against an innocent public officer. Fairness is more than a slogan.

Bakare sent this piece from C27 Winning Clause Estate, Gwarimpa, Abuja

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Sanya Onayoade

Continental Editor, North America

SANYA ONAYOADE is a graduate of Mass Communication and a Master of Communication Arts degree holder from the University of Ibadan. He has attended local and international courses on Media, Branding, Public Relations and Corporate Governance in many institutions including the University of Pittsburgh; Reuters Foundation of Rhodes University, South Africa and Lagos Business School. He has worked in many newspaper houses including The Guardian and The Punch. He was the pioneer Corporate Affairs Manager of Odua Telecoms Ltd, and later Head of Business Development and Marketing of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO Plc).

He has led business teams to several countries in the US, Asia and Europe; and was part of an Aviation investment drive in West Africa. He has also driven media and brand consultancy for a few organizations such as the British Council, Industrial Training Fund, PKF Audit/Accounting Firm and Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme. He is a Fellow of Freedom House, Washington DC, and also Fellow of Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria. Sanya is a member of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and Project Management Institute (PMI). He is a 1998 Commonwealth Media Awards winner and the Author of A Decade Of Democracy.
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Morak Babajide-Alabi

Continental Editor, Europe

Morak Babajide-Alabi is a graduate of Mass Communication with a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism from Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He is an experienced Social Media practitioner with a strong passion for connecting with customers of brands.

Morak works as part of a team currently building an e-commerce project for the Volkswagen Group UK. Before this, he worked on the social media accounts of SKODA, Audi, SEAT, CUPRA, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. In this job, he brought his vast experience in journalism, marketing, and search engine optimisation to play to make sure the brands are well represented on social media. He monitored the performance of marketing campaigns and data analysis of all volumes of social media interaction for the brands.

In his private capacity, Morak is the Chief Operating Officer of Syllable Media Limited, an England-based marketing agency with head office in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The agency handles briefs such as creative writing, ghostwriting, website designs, and print and broadcast productions, with an emphasis on search engine optimisation. Syllable Media analyses, reviews, and works alongside clients to maximise returns on their businesses.

Morak is a writer, blogger, journalist, and social media “enthusiast”. He has several publications and projects to his credit with over 20 years of experience writing and editing for print and online media in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Morak is a dependable team player who succeeds in a high-pressure environment. He started his professional career with the flagship of Nigerian journalism – The Guardian Newspapers in 1992 where he honed his writing and editing skills before joining TELL Magazine. He has edited, reported for, and produced newspapers and magazines in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Morak is involved in the development of information management tools for the healthcare sector in Africa. He is on the board of DeMiTAG HealthConcepts Limited, a company with branches in London, Lagos, and Abuja, to make healthcare information available at the fingertips of professionals. DeMiTAG HealthConcepts Limited achieved this by collaborating with notable informatics companies. It had partnered in the past with Avia Informatics Plc and i2i TeleSolutions Pvt.

Out of work, Morak loves walking and also volunteers on the board of a few UK Charity Organisations. He can be reached via http://www.syllablemedia.com
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Ademola Akinbola

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Brief Profile of Ademola Akinbola

Ademola AKINBOLA is an author, publisher, trainer, digital marketing strategist, and a brand development specialist with nearly three decades of experience in the areas of branding, communication, corporate reputation management, business development, organizational change management, and digital marketing.

He is the Founder and Head Steward at BrandStewards Limited, a brand and reputation management consultancy. He is also the Publisher of The Podium International Magazine, Ile-Oluji Times, and Who’s Who in Ile-Oluji.

He had a successful media practice at The Guardian, Punch and This Day.

He started his brand management career at Owena Bank as Media Relations Manager before joining Prudent Bank (now Polaris Bank) as the pioneer Head of Corporate Affairs.

The British Council appointed him as Head of Communication and Marketing to co-ordinate branding and reputation management activities at its Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt offices.

In 2007, he was recruited as the Head of Corporate Planning and Strategy for the Nigerian Aviation Handling company. He led on the branding, strategic planning and stakeholder management support function.

His job was later expanded and redesigned as Head of Corporate Communication and Business Development with the mandate to continue to execute the Board’s vision in the areas of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Branding and New Businesses.

In 2010, he voluntarily resigned from nacho aviance to focus on managing BrandStewards, a reputation and brand management firm he established in 2003. BrandStewards has successfully executed branding, re-branding and marketing communication projects for clients in the private and public sectors.

Ademola obtained a M.Sc. Degree in Digital Marketing & Web Analytics from Dublin Institute of Technology in 2016, and the Master of Communication Arts degree of the University of Ibadan in 1997. He had previously obtained a Higher National Diploma (with Upper Credit) in Mass Communication from Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta.

He has published several articles and authored five management books.

He has benefitted from several domestic and international training programmes on Brand Management, Corporate Communications, Change Management and Organizational Strategy.
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