Ogunlesi: Don’t expect the usual from me as Buhari’s SA

Tolu Ogunlesi, special assistant on digital/new media to President Muhammadu Buhari, says his advisory role in the president’s team will be more than just defending the government.

The appointment of Ogunlesi, a renowned blogger and journalist, as the president’s new media adviser was announced on Thursday.

Speaking on Monday at the Social Media Week, the University of Ibadan pharmacy graduate gave a hint of what is to come.

“I’m going to disappoint people that think the work of a PA is to trend hashtags and defend the government,” organisers of the event tweeted to quote Ogunlesi as saying.

I’m going to disappoint people that thinks the workof a P.A is about trending harshtag and defending the govt @toluogunlesi #SMWLagos

— SocialMediaWeekLagos (@SMWLagos) February 22, 2016

Ogunlesi’s appointment was received with mixed feelings, with some applauding it as well-deserved and others adjudging it as yet another violation of the pre-election promise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to reduce the number of political appointees.

However, Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, disagreed with the latter position, saying the current administration has cut down the number of ministers from 42 to 36, and ministries from 29 to 19.

“The latest appointment of Tolu Ogunlesi, what are we talking about?” he questioned reporters on Sunday.

“The fact is that the new media has come to stay and you must get a grip of it. Today’s social media is almost setting the agenda for government in a way the traditional media is not doing, so it will be unwise for a government not to recognise that.”