ADEYEMI-GBAJABIAMILA CONTROVERSY: LET’S HAVE FULL TRANSPARENCY, PLEASE
This colourful tale deserves a thorough investigation
The escalating controversy over a “fake” federal government agency is unhelpful to the current administration of President Bola Tinubu and the country’s collective reputation. In fact, it is a massively damaging issue with grave implications for public and global perception of the integrity of Nigerian institutions, and the credibility of systems and processes, especially at the highest level of government in the country. Coming at a period the administration is engaged in critical economic reforms and international initiatives that require the confidence of investors, development partners and the Nigerian public, there is need for more transparency on the issue.
The idea that a federal government parastatal, as confirmed by the presidency, can be invented out of thin air by a “scammer” and that the entity can proceed to exercise its invented mandate publicly for months, issuing statements, engaging top government officials and international partners, operating from government premises, securing public servants and even appearing in the federal budget without detection suggests that there may be more to this story.
