Fela Durotoye, a Nigerian public speaker, says he worked in the administration of President Bola Tinubu for just six months without receiving a salary.

In October 2023, Tinubu appointed Durotoye as senior special assistant on national values and social justice.

Following Tinubu’s appointment of Daniel Bwala as special adviser on public communications and media, some Nigerians on social media criticised the president for appointing a plethora of media aides without considering the cost of governance.

In a 13-man list that went viral on social media, Durotoye was named as one of the media aides to the president.

In an opinion piece published on Monday, Durotoye clarified that his appointment as aide to the president ended in March 2024.

He added that throughout the six months of his appointment, he didn’t receive any salary, allowance, or upkeep as a government official.

“Like many other issues in the public discourse, social commentary often has the tendency to overgeneralise; and broad assumptions may sometimes lead to errors of misconceptions, misstatements and misinformation,” Durotoye said.

“One of such errors is in a recent case study that went viral on social media regarding the current media team of the president, where my name was listed as one of the president’s media aides. Unfortunately, this statement needs to be updated to accurately reflect the current media team of the president.”

“For clarity, I served briefly in the role of Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Values and Social Justice (SSA-NVSJ) for a tenure of six months, from October 2023 to March 2024.”

“When I was invited to serve in this administration, I expressed, as a condition for accepting the call, my desire to NOT receive a salary from the government, as I considered this to be my service to my nation.”

“When I finally accepted the role in October 2023, it was on the condition that I would not receive any salary or allowances. During my six-month tenure, I did not accept any government funds for my service, expenses, or upkeep.”

“I rented my apartment and took my personal car to Abuja. My utility cost, fuel cost and upkeep were all borne by me and I never requested a reimbursement from the government for any expenses I incurred. Everything I contributed—time, effort, and resources—was paid for by me and my family.”

Simon Manley, the UK’s permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and United Nations (UN) in Geneva, says British investors in Nigeria have expressed concerns over harmful business practices in the country.

Speaking during Nigeria’s trade policy review in Geneva, Manley highlighted that British investors are also worried about the involvement of state-owned enterprises in market-distorting practices.

The British government official welcomed Nigeria’s efforts “on challenging, but necessary, economic reforms.”

“In particular, we have been pleased to see the work done to improve the monetary policy environment and the removal of fuel subsidies,” Manley said.

“However, to be honest Permanent Secretary, we would like you to go even further and faster. For example, there are concerns around the impact of state-owned enterprises on the business environment.”

“As the Secretariat noted in its report, as of 2022 around 40 state-owned enterprises were operating in key sectors like energy.”

“These state-owned enterprises, to be honest, often employ market-distorting practices and benefit from unfair competition in our view.”

“Other concerns that British businesses investing in Nigeria have raised include examples of harmful subsidies, forced technology transfer, discriminatory enforcement of competition policy, and complex regulatory barriers.”

“And we have indeed picked up on some of those issues and concerns in our Advanced Written Questions.”

“So we would encourage our Nigerian colleagues to address these harmful practices in order to boost investment, boost trade, improve its business environment and ultimately increase Nigerian prosperity.”

• ‘THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENT ALREADY BENEFITTING NIGERIA’

Manley said the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is already benefiting Nigeria’s economy and business environment.

For future growth, he said they are looking forward to Nigeria implementing the digital trade protocol of the AfCFTA.

“We congratulate Nigeria on commencing commercially meaningful trade under the Agreement by joining the Guided Trade Initiative on 16 July,” he said.

“We, in the UK, are proud to have supported the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office on reaching this milestone and we are currently supporting the implementation of the Digital Trade Protocol flowing from the Agreement, which is an ambitious and comprehensive framework designed to facilitate digital trade and unlock the potential of the digital economy right across the continent.”

“According to the joint World Bank-WTO Policy Note last year on digital trade in Africa, if African countries were to improve their digital regulatory environment to that of the best on the continent, trade costs could fall by 17% in goods and 25% in business and professional services.”

“So, we look forward to Nigeria implementing that Digital Trade Protocol to the benefit of its businesses, its consumers, and its future growth.”

As a co-chair of the informal working group on gender, Manley also lauded Nigeria’s commitment to empowering women economically.

“As a little practical example, I was delighted to hear the recent story of Madam Chinwe Izenwa. A 73-year-old female entrepreneur and CEO of LeLook, a bags and fashion accessories company, who was the first Nigerian, I understand, to use the AfCFTA’s Guided Trade Initiative,” he said.

“She has even given herself the nickname 0001, as she holds the first Agreement certificate of origin.”

“An excellent example of Nigeria’s action on women’s economic empowerment, delivering real-world benefits.”

Manley commended Nigeria’s proactive engagement in the WTO, describing the country as a friend to the multilateral system.

Acknowledging the leadership of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the WTO director-general, he described her as the organisation’s most renowned Nigerian.

• ‘NIGERIA HAS BEEN A STRONG ALLY IN PLURI-LATERAL NEGOTIATIONS’

Manley also commended Adamu Abdulhamid, chair of the WTO trade policy committee, for his significant contributions.

He stated that the organisation would particularly acknowledge Nigeria’s efforts in dispute settlement, as the focal point for the African Group, and in fisheries.

“Nigeria has been a strong ally in pluri-lateral negotiations, whether on Services Domestic Regulation, Investment Facilitation for Development, and e-commerce,” he said.

“While we may not always see eye to eye, Nigeria has, rightly, kept our feet to the fire in ensuring that those pluri-lateral outcomes are balanced for all Members.”

“Thanks to Nigeria’s input, we can be confident that the agreements reached are a fair compromise of ambition, commercial value, and inclusivity.”

“We were glad to have reached a stabilised text on e-commerce this summer. We welcome your confirmation, Permanent Secretary, this morning that consultations are ongoing back in Nigeria and we hope to count you as one of the Agreement’s founding parties as we move swiftly forward towards legal incorporation.”

Manley encouraged Nigeria to continue its reform efforts, adding that “Only the things for which you have struggled will last.”

The presidency has taken a swipe at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over comments credited to him.

While speaking at the Chinua Achebe leadership forum held at Yale University in the US, the former president described the 2023 general election as a “travesty.”

Obasanjo called for Nigeria to appoint new, credible leaders for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with short tenures to prevent corruption and re-establish trust in the institution.

But in a statement on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Obasanjo left many unresolved problems for the country, adding that he presided over the most fraudulent election in Nigeria’s history.

“The beneficiary of the sham election, Umaru Yar’adua, admitted that the election was seriously flawed and, as Justice Muhammed Uwais’s panel recommended, worked towards electoral reforms,” the presidential aide said.

“It is hypocrisy writ large when a man who presided over the worst election in Nigeria demands the sack of the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

“The only positive of the Obasanjo era was fiscal and monetary policy management buoyed by a consistent rise in crude oil prices throughout his eight-year tenure.”

“This rise in crude oil prices started in 2000 and peaked in 2013 when it reached over 100 dollars per barrel before a decline in 2014, which set the oil-dependent economy downward.”

“The current economic crisis the All Progressives Congress administrations have been battling since 2015 is the product of the poor choices in economic management made by Obasanjo and the two successors from his party.”

The presidential aide also added that under Obasanjo, there were no efforts to modernise the military until the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari came on board.