Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former special adviser in the Office of the Vice President, has painted a grim picture of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style, describing him as “really and genuinely isolated” from both his aides and the Nigerian people.
Speaking during an appearance on ARISE TV last night, Baba-Ahmed reflected candidly on his time in the administration, saying he had joined the government with high hopes but left disillusioned.
Responding to a question about whether Vice President Kashim Shettima was being sidelined by President Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed dismissed such claims.
“No, I didn’t see any of these…” he said, adding that marginalization of the vice presidency has been a recurring feature in past governments.
“If the president feels that the office of the vice president is not that important in the administration—and we have seen that many times—basically, that was what I met,” he explained.
He lamented the persistent absence of defined roles for vice presidents, despite the significance of their office, stating that casual daily interactions with Shettima were insufficient to drive meaningful governance.
In sharp contrast, Baba-Ahmed revealed he barely had any direct access to President Tinubu.
“I only saw President Tinubu three times in the mosque in the presidential villa. But I had never had a chance to sit down and talk with President Tinubu. I think part of the problem is that Tinubu never had time for people like us. I don’t think he had time for a lot of people working for him,” he said.
Describing Tinubu’s isolation as either a deliberate strategy or a circumstance, Baba-Ahmed warned that it poses a national problem.
“The bottom line is, he ought to be available for the people he trusted and worked for him. And that’s the problem for the country, not for him,” he stressed.
He also raised concerns about the quality of advice reaching the president, hinting that Tinubu’s inner circle is dangerously out of touch with the realities facing Nigerians.
“If you hear people who are close to him speak about Nigeria, you will hear as if they’re living in different worlds. That is the most frustrating thing for me,” he lamented.
Baba-Ahmed, reflecting on life beyond the presidential villa, described a country grappling with despair.
“We work in the Villa and we go home and meet the people, and we know how the country is—how desperate people are, the difficult lives, the insecurity. People are losing hope, asking what is the value of this democracy. And sometimes people ask what are we doing there? Asking us, are we really advising the president about some of these things?” he said.
He underscored the urgent need for competent advisers who engage with real national issues.
“If the president has a quality of people talking and advising him about the real issues on ground, I think the country would be better,” he stated.
On the evolving political landscape, Baba-Ahmed distanced himself from current coalition movements, saying he hopes not to be part of them.
His recent open letter to President Tinubu, the former presidential Adviser urged the president to step aside in 2027 and allow younger leadership to emerge.
“Step aside—not for your opponents, but for a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas.
Our generation has done its time. It would be a masterstroke if you and your party yielded the field to new voices and new leadership. That way, you could catalyse a peaceful, historic transformation and inspire a new political culture rooted in merit, unity, and progress,” he advised.
He further urged Tinubu to reflect on his legacy and warned against being consumed by the politics of 2027.
“You hold what your opposition lacks: the power to reduce the harshness of life for the average Nigerian. Use it well. Watch 2027, yes—but don’t become consumed by it,” he cautioned.
Baba-Ahmed, who recently resigned from the administration after 18 months without ever having a one-on-one meeting with President Tinubu, criticized the president’s handling of governance.
He described the Renewed Hope Agenda as a set of campaign promises rather than a solid governance blueprint and slammed the cabinet, saying more than half the ministers “have no business managing an administration tasked with improving security, livelihoods, or public trust.”
While acknowledging that Tinubu inherited a battered economy and an exhausted populace, Baba-Ahmed concluded that the president squandered the early momentum of his inauguration by failing to deliver effective leadership.
