Ajuri Ngelale: Meet Tinubu’s spokesman, his journey from journalism to politics, controversies

He is tall. He is not dark in skin. He is easily noticeable in the crowd. He is brilliant. He is articulate and he doesn’t have a typical Nigerian accent.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Obari Ngelale, was born on the 13th November 1986.

The Nigerian broadcast journalist was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, United States to a Nigerian father of Eleme origin, Chief Precious Osaro Ngelale and German-American mother Diane who served as Social Welfare Director of the Rivers State Government under Governor Melford Okilo.

His father who was a geologist and politician who was elected to the Rivers State House of Assembly in the Third Republic and served until General Muhammadu Buhari’s military coup of 1983.

Following the military coup, his family moved to the United States in 1985, after which his father was appointed to the federal cabinet as a minister after the return of democracy in 1999.

Ngelale earned a bachelor’s degree majoring in Political Science and History from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, USA. He returned to Nigeria in 2011 to participate in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Ngelale started journalism career as a youth corps member at Africa Independent Television where he was deployed for his one-year national service.

He was a senior reporter and presenter at Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television.

After completing his national service, he was retained by AIT as an investigative reporter and later served as a news editor, producer and presenter from 2011 to 2016. At AIT, he produced two critically acclaimed public affairs documentary series State of the Nation (2012) and Diary from the Delta (2016).

He left AIT in 2016 and joined Channels Television where he served as a co-anchor of popular public policy discussion program Sunrise Daily and in partnership with the United States Government’s Mandela Washington Fellowship, produced and presented Africa’s Future Leaders which documented young African leaders uplifting disadvantaged population through their individual efforts.

In 2019, he resigned from Channels TV to become lead media content producer for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Next Level Presidential Campaign for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari under Buhari/Osinbajo presidential Campaign organization.

Following their victory at the poll in 2019, President Buhari appointed Ngelale as his senior special adviser on public affairs and served in this position till 2023 when Buhari left office.

In October 2022, Ngelale was appointed co-principal spokesperson of Tinubu-Shettima Presidential campaign Organization.

He appeared frequently on national radio and TV, and international media including CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera. On 31 July 2023, president Bola Tinubu appointed Ngelale his official spokesperson. On 19 May 2024, President Tinubu appointed Ngelale as the first Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen, Nigeria’s first green industrial zone and as Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions, chaired by President Tinubu.

Ajuri is married and blessed with three children.

Ajuri’s career hasn’t been without challenges. Balancing advocacy and criticism, he navigates controversies with resilience.

In summary, Ajuri Ngelale’s journey from the heart of America to the heart of Nigerian politics exemplifies dedication, adaptability, and unwavering commitment. His story continues to unfold, leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s narrative.

The son of Ngelale, however, recently had his own share of controversies in the cause of managing his boss (Tinubu’s) communication. There was visible disarray in the presidential villa. The drama was between him as the presidential spokesman and the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Ngelale had earlier posted that Onanuga was spreading lies, for posting that the President was going to address the joint session of NASS on May 29. While countering Onanuga’s information, Ngelale wrote that it was ‘false and unauthorised’. That was pure washing of their dirty linen in public.

Event watchers felt Ngelale could have call Onanuga, who is his senior in journalism and old enough to be his father, privately to talk to him rather than making a public show of his elder, which of course boomerange. Also, how come a whole presidential spokesman didn’t know the facts about whether the president would be at NASS or not that he had to disgrace himself? And when Ngelale made that post against Onanuga, why didn’t the presidency secretly inform him that he was wrong and Onanuga right?

Well, it was a fact that President Tinubu eventually appeared at the NASS on that day. Nigerians and the whole world saw the unnecessary drama as uncoordinated, bringing Ajuri Ngelale to ridicule.