Fela Durotoye, a prominent Nigerian public speaker, publicly stated that he served in the administration of President Bola Tinubu for a period of six months without receiving a salary.
Gatekeepers News reports that appointed in October 2023 as the senior special assistant on national values and social justice, Durotoye’s role became a focal point of discussion following Tinubu’s subsequent appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media.
This spurred criticism on social media, where users expressed concern over the growing number of media aides appointed and the implications for the overall cost of governance. A list of 13 appointed media aides, which circulated widely online, included Durotoye among them.
In a recent opinion piece published on Monday, Durotoye clarified that his tenure as an aide to the president concluded in March 2024. He further emphasised that during his six months in office, he did not receive any salary, allowance, or support typically associated with government positions.
“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.”
