Public speaker Fela Durotoye has revealed that he served in President Bola Tinubu’s administration for six months without receiving any salary.
In October 2023, Tinubu appointed Durotoye as senior special assistant on national values and social justice.
Following the president’s appointment of Daniel Bwala as special adviser on public communications and media, some Nigerians on social media criticised the government for hiring numerous media aides without regard for the cost of governance.
In a viral 13-person list circulating online, Durotoye was included as one of the president’s media aides.
However, in an opinion piece published on Monday, Durotoye clarified that his appointment ended in March 2024. He also emphasised that throughout his six-month tenure he did not receive any salary, allowances or government benefits.
“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.”
