Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has said President Bola Tinubu turned to Hakeem Muri-Okunola, his Principal Private Secretary, to manage his schedule because Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila has not been effective in the role.
Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, Akande argued that a functioning chief of staff would make Muri-Okunola’s involvement in organising the president’s diary unnecessary. He said the arrangement points to a gap at the heart of the Presidency, noting that even people within the Villa acknowledge the chief of staff’s office has been weakened.
“If the chief of staff was doing his job properly, he wouldn’t need HMO; that’s the truth,” Akande said, referring to Muri-Okunola by his initials. He added that the president had to bring in the former Lagos State Head of Service to handle scheduling despite having a chief of staff in place.
Beyond the staffing question, Akande said Tinubu has yet to deliver his best in office, despite having capable people within his administration. He argued that the president has not surrounded himself with influential figures of the calibre of former Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola and Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso.
He singled out Cardoso for praise, saying the CBN governor appears to enjoy room to operate because of his familiarity with the president. “The president even doesn’t try to interfere with Cardoso because he knows him,” Akande said, adding that Tinubu lacks similar trusted, influential figures around him.
Akande served as Senior Media Aide to Osinbajo under former President Muhammadu Buhari. Muri-Okunola, a former Lagos State Head of Service, now serves as Tinubu’s Principal Private Secretary.
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