Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, has resigned from his position effective immediately.
In a statement released by the Presidency on Saturday,
Ngelale indicated that he had informed the Chief of Staff to the President,
Femi Gbajabiamila, of his intention to take an indefinite leave.
He also announced his resignation from his roles as the
Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and Chairman of the Presidential
Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
Ngelale explained that his decision to step down was
prompted by medical issues currently affecting his immediate family.
The statement noted, “On Friday, I submitted a memo to the
Chief of Staff to the President informing my office that I am proceeding on an
indefinite leave of absence to address medical matters presently affecting my
immediate nuclear family.”
“While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for
no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the
Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official
Spokesperson of the President, Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action,
and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken
after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a
vexatious medical situation has worsened at home.
“I look forward to returning to full-time national service
when time, healing, and fate permit. I respectfully ask for some privacy for my
family and me during this time.”
On August 1, 2023, Ngelale was designated as the Special
Adviser to the President for Media and Publicity.
A statement from the Office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation indicated that this appointment became effective
on July 31, 2023, and will remain in place until the conclusion of the current
administration, unless the President decides otherwise. On May 19, 2024,
President Tinubu appointed Ngelale as the inaugural Special Presidential Envoy
for Climate Action.
Additionally, he was named Chairman of the Presidential
Steering Committee on Project Evergreen and Secretary of the Presidential
Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions.
Ngelale was born on November 13, 1986, in Platteville,
Wisconsin, USA, to a Nigerian father of Eleme descent from Rivers State,
Precious Ngelale, and a German-American mother, Diane Ngelale.
He is a Nigerian broadcast journalist with experience as a
senior reporter and presenter at Africa Independent Television and Channels
Television.
Prior to his current roles, he served as the Senior Special
Adviser on Public Affairs to President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2023 and
was a co-principal spokesperson for the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign
Council during the 2023 presidential election.