The mouthpiece of a President is one of the most delicate appointments a president ever makes. This is simply because, the spokesperson of the President is first and foremost his number one brand specialist before being his Chief Communication specialist. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has found himself looking for another competent chief image maker following the indefinite leave of absence embarked upon by Chief Ajuri Ngelale on health and family grounds.
Many names have been bandied about by commentators and many qualities have been reeled out as what Tinubu’s next Special Adviser on Media and Publicity should possess. However, taking a look at the array of eminently qualified names on parade, one name stands out – Tunde Rahman.
Tunde Rahman is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media Affairs. Tunde is an alumni of the Daily Times of Nigeria during its glorious days and has carved a niche as an astute journalist over a period spanning three decades. Tunde Rahman began his journey in media practice as a political correspondent with the Lagos Horizon newspaper in 1989 before moving over to the Lagos office of the Tehran Times International as Nigerian correspondent the following year.
Tunde Rahman then joined the Daily Times of Nigeria in 1991 where he sojourned for a decade rising through the ranks to become the political editor of the newspaper in 2000. Later that year, the now vastly experienced Tunde Rahman joined Punch Newspapers and became News Editor of Punch in 2003. While in Punch, his duties metamorphosed into human resource management and training of personnel.
In 2004, Tunde Rahman took his media practice to ThisDay newspapers and started immediately as Deputy Editor, a position he retained until 2010 when he served briefly as Acting Editor of the newspaper. After an extra two years in ThisDay, Tunde Rahman decided to venture into newspaper proprietorship and founded the Western Post Newspapers in 2014. Two years later in 2016, Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him as his media adviser.
For seven long years, Tunde Rahman held sway as media adviser to Bola Ahmed Tinubu and after he assumed office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Tinubu appointed his trusted media adviser of seven years to serve as his Senior Special Assistant on Media Matters. Today, you will struggle to find a more perfect feet to wear the shoe of President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity other than Tunde Rahman.
The qualities that make Tunde Rahman a most qualified name for this role are many. He is highly competent in the media practice. He has seen it all, having been employed at various times by three of the biggest media organisations in the country. He has earned the respect of his fellow professionals especially in the way he carried out his duties. During the 2023 presidential election, while still serving as media adviser to Tinubu, Rahman managed his relationship with his media colleagues in the industry most diplomatically. This is a priceless attribute.
Equally, the fact that Tunde Rahman spent seven years with Bola Tinubu as media aide shows an uncommon level of trust by his principal, a trust that translated to his appointment as SSA the moment President Bola Tinubu assumed office. This is perhaps the biggest pointer that the role of Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity should be bestowed on Tunde Rahman as he ticks all the boxes needed to perform in that role. He is simply the ideal choice.
In the end, the choice of who replaces Ajuri Ngelale is that of the President to make. However from afar it is not difficult to seek out a name that can competently handle the President’s media duties, this is why it appears that the name Tunde Rahman stands out in many lips. It is hoped that the President tilts in that direction.
