Dear Mr. Fela Durotoye
Today’s epistle is directed at you, courtesy of your widely reported statement in which you explained two essential aspects of your relationship with the present administration led by President Bola Tinubu. Firstly, you are no longer a member of the government, and secondly, whilst you were part of the government for a very short period, you did not earn any salary. If anything, you spent your privately earned money on accommodation, transportation, and other things while serving the country and the government.
For those who missed it, here is the context: In the second week of November 2024, a message containing a list of special advisers to the President started circulating on social media, and by the third week of the month, it had gone viral. The list intended to, with names and numbers, demonstrate that rather than cut down the size of government and cost of governance, the administration of President Bola Tinubu was increasing the number of people working for it by employing a visibly large number of special advisers.
You, Mr Fela Durotoye, were listed alongside 13 other aides as a Senior Special Assistant to the President for National Values and Social Justice. Given that you were appointed in October 2023 and served for six months, it makes sense for you to point out that the circulated list needs to be updated.
Your statement in which you observed that “like many other issues in the public discourse, social commentary often has the tendency to over generalise; and broad assumptions may sometimes lead to errors of misconceptions, misstatements and misinformation” not only clarified but also informed. I, like many, for example, did not even know you were appointed for any position in this government, let alone know that you resigned.
Your decision to clarify and avoid misconceptions, misstatements, and misinformation is a worthy move, and many of us are grateful for your making it. This is a good place to remind you and the rest of us that broad assumptions, misconceptions, misstatements, and misinformation tend to permeate our public and all discourse due to a lack of information. Human beings are naturally curious beings, and information is a crucial element of our social lives; therefore, even when too lazy or ill-equipped to find correct information, we still need information. Where humans cannot find accurate information, we resort to broad assumptions and dwell on misconceptions, misstatements, and misinformation. Like the poor who cannot afford healthy food or the ignorant who do not know healthy food and live on unhealthy food, we all dwell on broad assumptions and misconceptions, misstatements, and misinformation where we do not know better.
We dwell on assumptions, imagination and superstitions when we do not have facts and reasons.
Noblesse Oblige. It is the duty of those who know, either through knowledge or experience, to provide information for the rest so that the possible information vacuum can be filled and we can all be saved from the risk of broad assumptions, misconceptions, misstatements, and misinformation. In your case, dear Mr Durotoye, you have the knowledge of good governance and the experience of working in government, which puts you in a very privileged position to tell us more.
You have done well in telling us when you left the government, and by so doing, you have left many wondering how you even got into government in the first place. Questions abound. Were you invited to join the government based on shared values with the president or those close to him? Were you part of the campaign team that worked hard to help Nigerians understand that Candidate Bola Tinubu and his APC are the best options for Nigeria in 2023? Were you minding your business in Lagos or elsewhere, and out of the blue, the president or some people realised that you were the one with the qualities for the role you were nominated for?
It would also help us to know what, even if in broad terms, the mandate and objectives you were given to achieve for the government. In your statement, you talked about the conditions for accepting the role. Knowing what you were appointed to do and what you can expect or not expect once in government will not only assuage our human curiosity but also help our quest for transparency and add to our general civic education by helping us better understand our country and how our government thinks. It will also give us valuable insights for planning our future.
One more piece of information that will be very helpful is the list of things you achieved or at least tried to do but could not do in your six months in office. No one can better tell us this than your good self. You have the facts, and you have the style, so please tell us more. For some, six months might be a short time, but not for modern players and those who, with impact, have operated in the private sector where every single day means deployment of precious resources that must be productive. It is not just about accountability; such information, if you are kind enough to share it with us, will also help us know what should be done, what can be done and the hurdles to doing them in the country.
Lastly, it would help if you told us why and how you left office. Now that many more people know you were part of our government, many would like to know if you were pushed or jumped, to put it in water cooler terms. Were you asked to do things you did not believe in, or were you not allowed to do things you believed in? Your words, for very easily understandable reasons, will fill any vacuum that may otherwise allow for speculations and assumptions, so please tell us more.
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•Anthony Kila is a Professor of Strategy and Development and a Director at the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies.
