Laolu Akande, a seasoned journalist and former media aide to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has openly criticised the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to deliver on its promise to combat corruption.
Speaking during an X space on Tuesday, Akande expressed his disappointment and embarrassment over the government’s missed opportunity to address corruption, despite his involvement in the administration.
Akande clarified that while he served as the media head for the Vice President, his role was not executive, limiting his ability to influence the administration’s actions.
He pointed out that President Buhari, who also held the position of Minister of Oil, was responsible for tackling corruption within the oil sector.
Reflecting on the past eight years under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akande said that the party had squandered valuable time and was now relying on President Bola Tinubu to make amends.
He urged the new administration to fulfil the promises made in 2015 and confront corruption head-on.
“I believe that the APC has wasted eight years of Nigeria’s time, and I’m personally disappointed. But the reality is that this is what we have to deal with. I’ve publicly stated that President Tinubu is the one who has the opportunity now to make up for all that for the party and the country. So I’m not going to make excuses.
“I mean, many of us joined the campaign in 2015. I personally joined the campaign in 2014 because I supported the idea that Buhari was coming up, okay? We all felt that he was not corrupt and would work to solve the country’s problems. I personally got involved when they picked Osinbajo as vice president. I said, “Okay, if these people chose someone like Osinbajo, they must mean business.” And I went to serve with him,” Akande said.
He added that while he was part of the government, his role was to speak on behalf of the Vice President and the administration, not to implement policies directly.
He expressed hope that the current administration would seize the opportunity to rectify past mistakes and deliver on its anti-corruption agenda.
