Senator Ali Ndume has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently review the calibre of officials serving in his administration, warning that some of those around the President could continue to expose the presidency to avoidable controversies.
Ndume said the recent controversy surrounding the discovery of alleged fictitious government agencies had raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of oversight and the quality of personnel within the Federal Government.
The former Chief Whip of the Senate, who spoke while reacting to developments in the presidency, said President Tinubu must take decisive steps to identify and remove incompetent officials from strategic positions.
“Mr President needs to weed out the kakistocrats in his presidency, otherwise they will continue to mess him up,” Ndume said.
The lawmaker’s intervention comes amid growing public concern over the discovery of alleged fake government agencies operating within the federal system.
One of the recent cases involved the alleged operation of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office from a government facility, following an earlier controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
President Tinubu had ordered investigations into the alleged agencies, while some senior government officials were suspended as investigations continued.
Ndume said while the President might not be directly responsible for every action taken by officials under his administration, the controversies ultimately had implications for the image and credibility of his government.
“The President cannot be everywhere, but the people he appoints and entrusts with responsibilities represent his administration,” he said.
The senator maintained that the recurring controversies were capable of distracting the administration from governance and weakening public confidence in government institutions.
He therefore urged Tinubu to strengthen internal oversight mechanisms and ensure that only competent and accountable officials were entrusted with sensitive responsibilities.
TheCable had earlier reported that the alleged fake agency controversies had triggered investigations and renewed scrutiny of government institutions and their oversight structures.
The development has also intensified concerns about how organisations without clear legal backing could allegedly operate within the federal bureaucracy and interact with government officials before being uncovered.
Ndume said the President should treat the development as an opportunity to undertake a wider review of his administration and address weaknesses that could expose the government to further embarrassment.
“If these people are not weeded out, they will continue to create problems and mess up the presidency,” he warned.
The lawmaker added that decisive action against officials found to have contributed to institutional failures would send a strong signal that incompetence and negligence would not be tolerated within the Tinubu administration.
The controversy has continued to generate debate over accountability and institutional oversight, with calls for a thorough investigation into how the alleged agencies operated and the extent to which public officials may have been involved.
