There is a growing feeling of unease in the polity over recent appointments by President Bola Tinubu, seen to favour his friends and political associates, at the detriment of ‘competence’, which he vowed to be the key criterion in the recruitment of his lieutenants.

Barely one month after he was declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election, President Tinubu declared in a statement that neither religion nor ethnicity or other such considerations would determine appointments into his government.

“As your incoming president, I accept the task before me. There has been talk of a government of national unity. my aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence.

“In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone. I shall assemble competent men, women and young people across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous and just Nigeria.

“There shall be young people. Women shall be prominent. Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government, character and competence will.

“To secure our nation and make it prosperous must be our top priorities. We cannot sacrifice these goals to political expediency. The whims of politics must take a backseat to the imperatives of governance,” the president said emphatically ahead of his swearing-in, while countering certain calls on him to form a government of national unity.

Contrary to that solemn promise, however, some Nigerians are raising great concerns about the tendency of the president towards the appointment of friends, family and associates to positions of authority, in some cases, without proper regard to their qualifications.

Aside from the suggested disregard for competence, some party leaders and foot soldiers who worked for the victory of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are also raising voices of concern about being “left out” in the series of appointments President Tinubu has made so far.

Some politicians, analysts and ordinary Nigerians said the expectations the President Tinubu administration would have learned from the mistakes of his predecessors are being dashed with different rounds of appointments. Allegations of lopsidedness, which were raised against former President Muhammadu Buhari, have resurfaced.

Some names that have come up when the allegation of cronyism against the president is discussed include the appointment of his daughter’s husband, Oyetunde Ojo as the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). Mr Tinubu’s daughter, Folashade Tinubu Ojo, is the Iyaloja of Lagos.

Also mentioned is the appointment of the daughter of Chief Bisi Akande, Temitope Ilori, as the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), as well as the appointment of Umar Abdullahi Ganduje as the Executive Director, Technical Services, Rural Electrification Agency (REA). Umar is the son of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the national chairman of the APC.

Other appointments that have raised eyebrows in recent times include that of Olufemi Akinyelure as Head of Project Management Unit, Nigeria Electrification Project. Olufemi is the son of Chief Pius Akinyelure, who Tinubu earlier appointed as the non-executive board chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The president also appointed Muhammad Abu Ibrahim, the son of his political associate, Senator Abu Ibrahim, as the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF).

Aside from this, observers have also raised questions over the vetting process adopted in some of the appointments, which the president had to withdraw after backlash. Such include the withdrawal of the nomination of Imam Kashim Ibrahim Imam, 24, as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) after Nigerians raised concerns over his age. Also included is the withdrawal of the nomination of Dr Maryam Shettima (Shetty), 44, as a minister, with the APC national chairman, Ganduje, explaining that the president was ‘misled’ into nominating her.


APC members worried, promises of patronage yet to be fulfilled

Top APC stalwarts and foot soldiers have expressed grave concerns over the president’s various appointments. The party stakeholders are reported to be unhappy with Tinubu’s style of appointment since he became president, with many of them worrying why only a few individuals have been benefitting the most from the appointments already made, while others worry over why he was yet to make a wholesome appointment into boards of agencies and parastatals.

Credible sources familiar with the development also lamented the delay in fulfilling promises of political patronage at the centre.

According to a senior party leader who asked not to be named, the president’s 2027 ambition might be in jeopardy since he is now seen as a man perceived to be running a “one-man show” in Abuja and does not care about party members from states he got votes from.

“Most of those who showed unwavering loyalty to him with the hope that their supporters would be rewarded with federal appointments are disappointed,” the source said.

Another source familiar with the workings around the presidency said, “The president had asked governors to submit names for chief executive officers of agencies, which they did, but he failed to act on those names till date.

“Instead, he has gone ahead to appoint his people into those agencies, including those that governors nominated party members to fill and CVs attached to them. Look at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and other agencies recently announced. Certain names were pencilled earlier, but when the announcements were made, different names emerged.”

Another source who pleaded anonymity told this paper that the idea of governors submitting names was to correct the alleged infractions noticed in ministerial positions and other previous appointments by those people the president trusted.

“It is now evident to those governors and other stakeholders that the president has dumped the list he asked them to submit as it is now obvious that he is running a one-man government with his kinsmen from Lagos and Osun,” he lamented.

According to the source, it is important that, as things stand, President Tinubu learn from the mistakes of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

“2027 is at hand, and we are patiently waiting to see who the president will run to. Nigerians don’t forget easily. Jonathan’s treatment may befall Tinubu in 2027 if he doesn’t quickly address this lopsidedness and cronyism. The governors are angry and disappointed. The president needs to do the right thing,” he added.

Another stalwart of the APC said most of them were crying out, not only because the appointments were favouring the president’s close friends and associates alone, but even those that are not members of the party have been benefitting more from the government.

The stakeholders complained about the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike getting about eight federal appointments already for his Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members while most APC stakeholders have been excluded.

It was gathered that in the list the president commissioned to be compiled and approved, the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) was listed for Kebbi but was later given to Rivers through Wike. Dr Dakorinama Alabo George, who was announced as the new director-general of the agency on March 14, was in charge of the multiple construction projects executed by Wike for the eight years he was the governor of Rivers State.

Aside from this, some of the leaders of the APC in the FCT recently held a protest to challenge the recent appointments by Wike, which they said favoured PDP members from Rivers above them.

About eight months ago, some stakeholders of the APC in the South West geopolitical zone asked President Tinubu to be wary of a seeming hijack of all appointments meant for the zone by Lagos politicians in the party.

The stakeholders, under the aegis of South West APC Support Groups (SASG), alleged that states in the zone were being sidelined in the appointment of presidential aides announced, as only the ‘Lagos boys’ were snatching the slots.

In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Otunba Dele Fulani, the SASG expressed worry that the trend might be extended to ministerial and board appointments for ministries, departments and agencies if not addressed immediately.

In the statement titled, “Dangers of ‘Lagosizing’ South West,” the South West stakeholders cited the case of the 20 aides that were in the earliest appointments by the president, saying at least 13 of them are Lagos-based politicians.


‘Nothing abnormal in president’s appointments’

Reacting, Bayo Onanuga, the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, told Daily Trust Saturday that there was nothing unusual in the appointments made by the president so far, insisting that as long as those appointed have the needed competence, Nigerians should not make mountains out of molehills.

He said that all over the world, leaders are known to appoint people they know and trust enough to add value to their administration, citing examples of President John F. Kennedy and President Donald Trump, both of the United States.

“This is not abnormal. It is done everywhere in the world. In the United States, President Kennedy appointed his younger brother as attorney-general; recently, President Donald Trump appointed his son-in-law; and even this week in Kano State, alluding to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s appointment of the elder son of his political godfather and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as a commissioner in his cabinet.”

“If they are qualified, I don’t see any issue. The emphasis should be on their qualifications,” he added.

On the allegation that APC stalwarts and foot soldiers are being left out of the appointments, and that the presidential approved list had been hijacked, Onanuga said, “No information on that.”

He, however, added that more appointments were on the way, stressing that there are over 7,000 federal positions to be filled by appointments and less than 1,000 have been announced.

“Many appointments will still be made in due course,” he said, adding that there was absolutely no reason to create an issue where there is none.


Like Buhari, like Tinubu?

It would be recalled that similar concerns were raised during the Buhari administration, with Nigerians accusing the then president and his close associates of cronyism.

Among many other such appointments that favoured friends, family and associates, people cited the choice of Muhammad, the son of Buhari’s friend, Malam Musa Bello from Adamawa State, as the minister of FCT; the appointment of Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, son of the former president’s ally, when he (Buhari) chaired the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF), as Managing Director of the REA; and the selection of his brother-in-law, Dr Mahmood Halilu Ahmed, as Managing Director of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc.

Abosede, the mother of late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, speaks with NAOMI CHIMA about the controversies that have trailed her son’s death, as well as her relationship with her ex-husband and Mohbad’s dad, Joseph

It has been alleged that you left your former marriage when Mohbad was little because you were pregnant for another man. What actually led to the breakup of your union with his dad?

All that happened about 10 years ago (when I left Joseph, Mohbad’s dad) that they have been using to fight me is what I want to speak about. Since then, they have been fighting with me, saying that I left my children. I never left my children for 10 years. I did not drop them with anyone.

Their father, Joseph, was the one that wanted to kill me. He wanted to stab me to death, yet I still stayed. However, some people sent my parents a message, that they should come and take me away from his house, before he would kill me.

He (Joseph) is lying that he caught me cheating on him. Many people have been calling me an adulterer, because of the lies he told against me.

What really caused the issues between the both of you?

What caused the fight was that my father actually asked me not to marry him from the onset. He did not even accept our introduction. He was so adamant about not accepting our marriage. But, at that time, I was already pregnant. I had even given birth to my first child, Ibukun. Even after her birth, my dad said that she should be collected from me and brought to him so that I could come home. When I gave birth to Promise and Mohbad, my father still did not accept. He wanted my mum to collect my first child from me, so that I could come back home, but my mother refused. She did not want me to have children for more than one husband, because if I left Mohbad’s father, I would have to remarry.

She begged my dad, but he still refused. It was after I gave birth to my third child, Adura, that my father and I spoke after a long time. He came to see me at the hospital. Back then, I used to sneak to the house to see my mum, because my father must not see me. He even sent my mother out of the house, because I chose to love and marry Mohbad’s father.

Why did you eventually leave then?

Our marriage was not up to a year old when problems started. But, because my father had constantly warned me not to marry him, I could not run to him to tell him all that was happening at home. I would simply keep it to myself and bear it. I did not tell anybody about what was going on. There was no third party involved in what was going on between us. He claimed I did not take care of my children. Meanwhile, I was the one that worked hard to take care of all my children and feed them. I even worked as a housemaid (home help) just to take care of my children. I would leave Mohbad, who was still very little then, around 5:30am, and go to sell kerosene in the Mushin area of Lagos. I would only return around 8pm to breastfeed him. A girl used to take care of him for me then. I was being paid N1,500 for the work I was doing. It was from the meager amounts I made from all those jobs that I used to take care of my children. I never left them.

There have been conflicting information about the circumstances leading to Mohbad’s death. Can you give us a clearer picture of what actually happened?

I actually did not know when my child (Mohbad) died. His father did not tell me. I was in his house for 10 days shortly before he died. I ran back there when I heard that he had died. I was the one who called his father and siblings to inform them. I brought them all together. I called their father to come and see me with all the children, despite all he had done to me. I did not have the strength to fight with him, because I found happiness in my children, and because they are grown up, I brought them all together. But, their father separated us.

I believe that my son was not dead as of the time he was buried. I actually told them not to bury him, but they refused. If they had not buried him at the time he did, I believe he would have lived. Joseph is actually my problem. I believe that he buried my son before he died.

How would you describe the relationship between you and Omowunmi, Mohbad’s wife?

Omowunmi did not offend me, and I don’t have any problem with her. It was Joseph who gave her the effrontery and authority to treat me anyhow. He wanted to control me and Mohbad. He put all of us under her and elevated her above all of us. Whatever command he gave to her was what she did to us.

Omowunmi and Joseph were very close, and I could not even get between them. Whenever I visited Mohbad’s house, Joseph would tell Omowunmi to put only one meat in my food.

When did you get close to Mohbad and his family?

It was during the customary 41-day celebration for Liam (Mohbad’s son) that I went to my son’s house and saw Omowunmi.

When I got there, Omowunmi’s mum and other family members gathered and said I should not carry Liam. They said I was a witch, and that I would kill him. my mum had to go there to query them. They later forced me to bath the child. I refused initially because I felt that if anything happened to the child, they would say I killed him. I only bathed the child once. I discussed this with Mohbad, and he said that anytime I went there to bathe the child, I should call him. But, I did not go there again after the day I went with my mum.

After Mohbad’s death, I left Ikorodu and went to his house. When I got there, I asked Omowunmi what I had done to offend her. She broke down in tears and asked me to forgive her. She admitted that she knew she should have informed me about Mohbad’s death and all that had been happening earlier. She said I was very patient and tolerant. It is not like I cannot fight any of them, but I was more interested in my son’s wellbeing. It was because of my son and other children that I did not fight anyone. Mohbad loved peace, and he did not want me to fight.

Omowunmi and Joseph were friends, and it was pointless to fight any of them.

What made Mohbad’s father upset started during Liam’s christening. He said they should have the ceremony in his house. But, I insisted that it should take place in Mohbad’s house.

Mohbad actually told me not to get involved with what Omowumi and his father were fighting about, and that if I was upset, I should carry my bag and leave. I reported Omowunmi’s mum to Mohbad, as she was abusing Joseph. And, I left.

Mohbad told me, “Mum, I cannot do what my dad asked me to do for you. But, I don’t want you to be supporting him, because I know the truth. He does not want me to do anything for you”.

The major reason Joseph is having issues with Mohbad’s wife is because of my late son’s money and properties.

What kind of relationship did you have with Mohbad before he became popular?

my child never turned his back on me. He loved me, and because of that, there was no need to fight anyone.

Even though I knew that I stood to benefit the most from his wealth, I always told him to take care of his father as well. I asked him to buy a vehicle for his father. He rented a shop for me, because he said he could not be spending on his father alone, without doing the same for me. However, he later told me that his dad did not want him to rent the shop for me, and asked me to keep it (the shop) a secret between me, him and his wife. I agreed, because I saw his father as my enemy, and I wanted to handle the situation tactfully.

I used to go and check up on Mohbad in Aboru, Ipaja, Lagos, where they lived with their father before they relocated to Ikorodu. I had a cordial relationship with my son. I used to buy things for him.

After Mohbad bought the car for Joseph, he (Joseph) still collected over a million naira from him. He kept asking Mohbad for money.


There was a time you made a comment that Joseph is actually not Mohbad’s dad. Is that true?

Joseph scattered all my children. He did not want them together at all. I am not fighting Mohbad’s father. He was actually the one I had Mohbad for. But, he (Joseph) was not happy that I reunited with my son. If he asked his son for anything and he (Mohbad) did not answer on time, he would say I was the one controlling him.

It is true I said that Joseph was not Mohbad’s father, because if he were his father, I don’t think he would be behaving the way he has been doing. Is a good father who is seeking justice over his son’s death supposed to be behaving in such a manner?

I don’t want him to spoil the lives of my other children. The lives of most of the people who have been bullied on social media have been destroyed.

my son died and they were fighting with me in the name of seeking justice for him. Is that how to seek justice? They ruined everything, and still wrongfully accused the people who stood by us. Members of his (Joseph) family started querying me about why I hired a lawyer. I told them that I did not know anything about hiring a lawyer. I asked if it was possible for Mohbad’s wife to hire a lawyer for her father in law. That is a lie. It was Mohbad’s father who scattered the case. He went to see (Femi) Falana with another lawyer. Meanwhile, when Falana asked Mohbad’s father to explain what killed Mohbad, he stated that Naira Marley disciplined his child.

Did you know the friends Mohbad kept before his death?

I followed my son to some shows, so I knew some of his friends, Naira Marley, and his managers. But, I was always praying for him to be safe, because he had become very scared of travelling because of Naira Marley. He said that if he travelled, something could happen to him. He was sleeping in different places, because he could not stay in one place out of fear. Sometimes, I would go and look for him. He even stopped going to his house; he only went there once in a while. I went there once to take him away, and I took him to church. When he was sick, I followed his father to church, so we could pray for our son’s safety. But, Joseph did not like to see me around my son at all. People forced me to go and fight Joseph, but I was trying to be patient.

When he was having issues with his former record label, did he confide in you?

Mohbad actually confided in me and told me that he wanted to change his Manager.

He told me that one day, Naira Marley called him in the middle of the night, and when he got there, he (Marley) brought out something. At that moment, Mohbad was scared, and he ran to the bathroom, from where he called me. I then called my pastor, who asked us to pray. Problems started when Mohbad wanted to change his manager.

What were the steps you took as a mother to caution and advise him?

I wanted to blow it open to the public so that people would know what he was going through. But, his father was among those who stopped me from making the case known to the public. We actually had a three-day vigil for Mohbad.

After his death, his songs were widely streamed. Has Marlian Music reached out to you as regards the payment of his royalties?

I don’t know anything about royalties. Naira Marley asked him (Mohbad) to attend shows, but he was scared. He called me, and I begged him, that the show was from Sam Larry. Nobody has talked to me about his royalties.

What is your stance on the clamour by Mohbad’s dad to have a DNA test conducted on Liam?

Mohbad was advised to do the DNA for the son before he died. It was his father (Joseph) that prevented the test from being done. The child is not a bastard; he is Mohbad’s son. I don’t know why Joseph is going on about a DNA test.

Why are you of the opinion that Marlian Records had a hand in your son’s death?

Sam Larry beat Mohbad, complaining that he owed him money, but that is not true. my son confided in me.

Naira Marley beat him up one time, and he ended up in the hospital. We had to use hot water to massage his body, and he could not talk for two days because he was seriously beaten. He even developed hypertension. I want justice for my son.

I want the police to question me, Mohbad’s father, his wife, Naira Marley, Sam Larry and Prime Boy, to know who is guilty among us.

When Mohbad recovered from the sickness, Naira did not want him back in Marlian Music. He said he was spoiling their name; and Mohbad also did not want to go back. I went with the father to plead with Naira. That was the first time I went to the house. It was Joseph that was always going there.

I gave birth to Mohbad, and I knew about many things that happened to him. One of his friends, Prime Boy, was usually with him, and I told Mohbad to stay away from him. It was after my son’s death I realised that he also used to visit Naira Marley.

Also, there was a particular guy that was usually in their house. Whenever I went there, he would not greet me, and I don’t like him as well. I also used to tell Omowunmi that I did not like him. Sometimes, when I went to their house, I would meet the guy on their matrimonial bed. I asked Wunmi why he was resting on their bed, and she said he was Mohbad’s manager. I wondered why he (Mohbad) decided to hire someone from Marley’s side, if not that he was looking for death. I often told him that the guy would disclose whatever happened in his (Mohbad)’s house to Naira Marley, because whenever he left their place, he would go straight to Marley’s house.

How can I be happy over the death of my son? I went to church on Sunday for Thanksgiving, and he died on Tuesday.

Some people have claimed that your son appeared to them in dreams. Have you seen him in your dreams since he died?

I see my son every day in my dreams. He always comes to see me. I believe I will surely get justice one day, but not the way his father is going about it. I am not disappointed that my son is no more; it is the will of God. It had been written that all those behind the death of my son will die the same way too. Mohbad stood by me every time his father was fighting me. He told me that his father was always cursing me, and he could not withstand the curses. But, I told him to leave his father to God.

You said you did not want Mohbad to be buried as quickly as he was interred. Why is that?

After they exhumed his body, I thought he would be alive. I tried everything possible for him not to die.

for five days, I was on the Arakeji ‘prayer mountain’ to pray for him not to die.

Before his death, there was a prophesy that someone’s son was about to die. They asked all the mothers there to pray. I did not know that it was my own son that the prophecy pertained to. I also went to another prayer mountain, and dropped N50,000 for prayers to keep my son alive.

Before he died, he had promised me a lot of things. With the kind of glory (fame) my son died, I believed that my suffering was over. Joseph is responsible for scattering the family. I tried to take Mohbad from him, so that I could give him proper care, but couldn’t. I did not know my child would die that way.

Even after his death, I expected Joseph to join hands with me, so that we could get justice for Mohbad, but he is doing another thing entirely. I have no doubt that God will avenge him (Mohbad).

You have said that Mohbad did not know peace while alive. Could you expatiate on that?

Mohbad did not know peace throughout his lifetime. He was always going from one problem to another in the hands of Naira Marley and Sam Larry. His manager was Naira Marley’s brother, and I did not like him. Every time I went there, I always told Mohbad to stay away from him, yet he was always sleeping on Mohbad’s bed. I told Mohbad to keep away from everyone associated with Naira Marley, and should not work with them anymore. I had always been involved in my son’s life. Every curse that Naira Marley rains on me will return to him.

Did you envision that Mohbad would be popular and wealthy?

Before I gave birth to Mohbad, his father’s elder brother came to visit us, and told us that God had revealed to him that He wanted to give us a glorious child. He said the child would be very popular, and would lead us out of poverty. He added that the child would be my fighter and defendant.

Most people think God has disappointed me, because Mohbad died suddenly, but I believe God is not done with me yet.

What is your favourite Mohbad’s song that strongly reminds you of him?

I love the song, ‘Peace’, and I implore everyone to listen to it. my son was a peaceful person, who did not like trouble.

I know that I am in the midst of enemies, but God will prevail.

Do you believe that justice will eventually be served?

By the grace of God, yes. Justice for Mohbad is what I want. my son cannot die in vain.
Before I gave birth to Mohbad, his father’s elder brother came to visit us, and told us that God had revealed to him that He wanted to give us a glorious child. He said the child would be very popular, and would lead us out of poverty. He added that the child would be my fighter and defendant.

Most people think God has disappointed me, because Mohbad died suddenly, but I believe God is not done with me yet.

What is your favourite Mohbad’s song that strongly reminds you of him?

I love the song, ‘Peace’, and I implore everyone to listen to it. my son was a peaceful person, who did not like trouble.

I know that I am in the midst of enemies, but God will prevail.

Do you believe that justice will eventually be served?

By the grace of God, yes. Justice for Mohbad is what I want. my son cannot die in vain.

Three days ago, I saw him (in my dream), and he promised that he would fight. People think he has given me everything. People say a lot of his things against me, but I believe those doing that, including Joseph, are not well trained for them to be saying such things about him. If they had someone like Mohbad in their families, they wouldn’t have been saying such things. If they had not buried him hastily, this whole thing wouldn’t have turned out this way.

A lot of people have enriched themselves from this, but the justice they are supposed to be fighting for has been left for me and Omowunmi to seek.