Ex-Osinbajo Aide Reveals Why Tinubu Appointed Private Secretary
Laolu Akande, a former senior media aide to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has blamed Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila for President Bola Tinubu’s decision to rely on Principal Private Secretary Hakeem Muri-Okunola to organise his schedule.
Akande said the appointment raised questions about Gbajabiamila’s effectiveness.
He argued that a properly functioning chief of staff should be able to handle such responsibilities without requiring the president to bring in another official.
He made the remarks while speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, where he criticised Tinubu’s management of the Presidency and his failure to give capable figures enough influence in his administration.
According to Akande, Muri-Okunola, a former Lagos State Head of Service, was brought into the Presidency to organise the president’s schedule despite the presence of a chief of staff.
“This is the problem. The president has a chief of staff, for instance, even the people in that Villa will tell you that the chief in front of the staff is removed because of all the kinds of stuff that have happened and then the president has to go and bring Hakeem Muri-Okunola (HMO) to be organising his schedule,” Akande said.
He argued that the arrangement reflected shortcomings in the performance of the chief of staff.
“If the chief of staff was doing his job properly, he wouldn’t need HMO; that’s the truth,” he said.
Akande also said Tinubu had yet to deliver his best in office, despite having some capable individuals in his administration.
“So, the president has not managed to give us his best, and there are very good people in this administration. There are good people, few people, but they don’t have that kind of influence that people like Fashola, Osinbajo, Aregbesola, Cardoso,” he said.
He identified former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, Osinbajo, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso as examples of experienced figures whose influence he believes could strengthen the administration.
Akande further praised Cardoso’s performance at the apex bank, suggesting that Tinubu’s familiarity with the CBN governor had allowed him to work with limited interference from the president.
“The president even doesn’t try to interfere with Cardoso because he knows him. I think they call him Head Master or whatever. He looks everything. The president doesn’t have people like that around him,” he said.
Muri-Okunola was appointed Principal Secretary to Tinubu in 2023 after serving as Lagos State Head of Service.
According to a statement from the Presidency at the time, he had previously served as a personal assistant to Tinubu when the president was governor of Lagos State.
The statement said Muri-Okunola brought more than 25 years of experience in law and public service to the role.
“Hakeem Muri Okunola appointed Principal Secretary to President Tinubu An astute administrator, former Personal Assistant to President Bola Tinubu when he was governor of Lagos state, and recently Head of Civil Service of Lagos State, Hakeem Muri Okunola brings over 25 years of experience in law and public service to his new role as Principal Secretary to President Bola Tinubu,” the statement had stated.
