The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, has stepped down from his role with immediate effect due to medical issues affecting his nuclear family.
Ngelale announced his decision in a statement issued by the Presidency on Saturday.
In the statement, Ngelale revealed that he had submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, informing him of his plan to proceed on indefinite leave. He also stepped down as the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
Ngelale explained that his decision was taken after significant consultations with his family over the past several days, as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home. “On Friday, I submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President informing my office that I am proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence to frontally deal with medical matters presently affecting my immediate nuclear family,” he said.
He added, “While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson of the President, Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home.”
Ngelale, who was appointed as the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity on August 1, 2023, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the President and the nation. He also asked for privacy for his family during this time, saying, “I look forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit. I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and me during this time.”
Ngelale, a Nigerian broadcast journalist, has had a distinguished career in journalism and public service. He previously served as the Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs to President Muhammadu Buhari between 2019 and 2023 and was a co-principal spokesperson of the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 presidential election.
