Former Minister Exposes President Buhari’s Hands-Off Approach to Governance

In a startling revelation, Adebayo Shittu, a former Nigerian Minister of Communications, has disclosed that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari rarely sought accountability from his ministers regarding their duties. Speaking on Channels TV, Shittu discussed the ongoing retreat for President Bola Tinubu’s ministers and highlighted the marked difference in leadership styles between the two administrations.

Shittu emphasized that President Buhari’s approach was noticeably hands-off, with a distinct absence of stringent oversight. “Buhari did not give anybody any threat. As I said, Buhari is not Tinubu, and Tinubu is not Buhari,” he stated. “What I know of Buhari, with all due respect to him, is that he is a more reserved person. When he assigns a task to someone, he seldom inquires about their execution.”

The former minister urged his statement to be regarded in the interest of the nation’s governance, hoping it would inspire future administrations to adopt a different approach. In the Buhari government, Shittu revealed that there was a conspicuous absence of regular check-ins and supervision. “People bring their memos, but in terms of supervision, we really did not have such mechanisms,” he noted.

Shittu contrasted this with President Tinubu’s emerging leadership style, which appears to prioritize a more involved and transparent approach. “In his statement today, Tinubu shows commitment that he is trying to do things differently,” Shittu acknowledged. “What I think he needs to add to it is to lead a transparent and quantifiable supervision of each ministry.”

The revelations from the former minister shed light on the inner workings of past and present administrations in Nigeria and raise questions about the importance of accountability and oversight in government affairs. It remains to be seen how President Tinubu will navigate these challenges and bring about a new era of governance.