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The media architecture under President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a huge disappointment.
For someone who has built and invested heavily in the media and who has enjoyed significant support from the media, especially during his run for the presidency, it beats me how he is suddenly so confused and disorganized as president with a straightforward task of putting together a coherent, light-footed, fit-for-the-purpose media team.
Just look at the cacophony of strange fellows he has appointed, from the rather too-old-for-the-era methuselah to the turncoat minimal value blabber.
They are too many, the job description is all over the place, and some of them have neither real access to nor understanding of how the Nigerian media space works.
If the President cannot put a simple media team together, can anyone be surprised how he will motivate them to get the job done?
What is even their job? He mistakes media management for public relations. He muddles this up with spokesperson interface, with media firewall speaking heads, and with social media optimization.
He imagines some nonsense ‘attack dog' role as useful in an era where believability is key and young people are catching cruise as they call it, where rudeness and deliberate misdemeanours are the currency.
Even as a platform for rewarding supporters, some type of job for the boys, he is hurting himself. I also don’t understand why baboons will work and monkeys will be having a field day. It is disgraceful, to say the least; makes one wonder if there is something in that villa that is not good for its occupants.
The biggest organization in the world is the United Nations. Do they have a million blabbers as spokespersons? No they don't.
The United States government is large and I see that with the coming of President Trump, Elon Musk and his friends are trying to cut the numbers even though they don't have so many run-of-the-mill wa, wa, wa, people claiming to be spokespersons.
The role of a spokesperson of a government is damn too serious for all this.
It seems indeed President Tinubu is incompetent, he cannot put together a serious cabinet, and he cannot structure a media team for the government. Gosh, please help me ask the President: was all that Lagos work he is taking credit for other people's efforts? Because I don't get how this man is disgracing my Yoruba race. Kilode now?
Former President Buhari had just two main drivers. The one and only Femi Adesina was leading with Malam Garba backing him with clearly defined roles. What is wrong with this Gbatueyo of a man? Gbatueyo means something that does not measure up to what it was billed to look like, akin to someone buying a shining bronze medal that was thought to be gold.
Now, let me educate you, Mr President, before you embarrass me further.
Designate one of them as Special Adviser
The others should be senior special assistants. Special assistants and PAs. I will tell you why so you understand I mean well. The bulk must stop on one of their tables, not on multiple tables.
The media, especially International ones, must know who to call and the person must have cabinet status, so he understands the directive principles of your government policies if you have any. I doubt you do.
The leader must assign responsibilities and manage the required resources to do the job.
This nonsense you are doing will disgrace you and the highly resourceful Yorubas will tangentially be looked upon with scorn. That is if it is not already happening.
You have done a so-called cabinet reshuffle in your mind, but, in the real sense, you have only displayed that you are more a politician than an administrator.
Confusion and a cacophony of people is no media team, it is at best a jamboree reflecting your huge confusion.
Let me add a few gifts: designate a media analysis measurement framework that can help you see how well you are doing in the media.
The orientation arm needs to be strengthened, I don't mean throwing money all over the place. I will add more to that in lecture 2.0. For now, manage this as part of my tough love to save you from yourself.
Finally, can you please tell Malam Nuhu Ribadu that the stomach-churning sycophancy he titles “Tinubu Gains” is so disgraceful, not because I wish to argue with the facts he wished to lay, but because a national security adviser cannot come accross as a lickspittle.
Mr President enjoyed the company of my man Lula, ask him for ideas on bosafamilia and sustainable agriculture, remind him of my demand that African slaves of Nigerian extraction contributed significantly to the foundation of Brazil.
Once you tell him I said you should remind him, he will recall the promise he made. Enjoy your stay.
Otunba Segun Showunmi
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