President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has just handed out another appointment, and this time it’s Jami’u Abiola, the latest addition to the presidential team. Abiola has been named the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Linguistics and Foreign Matters, effective from November 14, 2024. The news came through a statement from Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information & Public Relations, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. It was noted that this appointment is all in line with the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008, as amended.
Before this, Jami’u Abiola had been serving as the Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties in the Office of the Vice President. So, he’s no stranger in power. But now, with this new role, he’s expected to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which means he’ll be dealing with everything linguistic and foreign-related, presumably adding his expertise to make things run smoothly. What exactly that means in the long run is anyone’s guess, but there’s no shortage of high hopes that his ‘wealth of experience’ will finally make a difference.
This appointment also rekindles conversations around whether Tinubu’s administration is more focused on placating certain political families or actually delivering on its promises. Jami’u’s father, the late Chief MKO Abiola, remains a figure of immense political significance. His tragic fate is a scar on Nigeria’s history, and this gesture towards the family is inevitably suspicious.
