Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, has taken leave of absence from his role, effective immediately. The announcement was made in a statement issued by the Presidency on Saturday, where Ngelale explained that his decision was due to urgent medical matters affecting his immediate family.
In the statement, Ngelale shared that he had submitted a memo to Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, informing him of his decision to take an indefinite leave of absence. He also announced that he would be stepping down from his additional roles as the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
Ngelale expressed that the decision was a difficult one but necessary due to the worsening medical situation at home.
He stated, “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 frontally deal with medical matters presently affecting my immediate nuclear family.”
He further added, “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.”
Ngelale, who was appointed as Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity on August 1, 2023, had his appointment backdated to July 31, 2023. His role was expected to last until the end of the current administration unless otherwise directed by the President. On May 19, 2024, Ngelale was also appointed as the first Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and took on the role of Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
His background includes a career as a Nigerian broadcast journalist, having served as a senior reporter and presenter at Africa Independent Television and Channels Television. He was also the Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs to President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2023 and played a significant role as a co-principal spokesperson for the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 presidential election.
Ngelale was born on November 13, 1986, in Platteville, Wisconsin, USA, to a Nigerian father from Eleme in Rivers State and a German-American mother. He has been a prominent figure in Nigerian media and politics, and his contributions have been widely recognized.
As Ngelale steps down to focus on his family, he expressed hope of returning to public service in the future, stating, “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.”