Shittu served as minister of communications from 2015 to 2019 during Muhammadu Buhari’s first tenure as civilian president.

In an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Shittu admitted that the Buhari administration failed to fulfil some of its campaign promises.

“Even as an individual who had a mandate to oversee communications, there were several projects that I initiated but were frustrated along the way,” he said.

“For instance, I wanted to do an ICT university for Nigeria, and I made a proposal, and it got to the federal executive council, only for a number of our colleagues to oppose it, and at the end of the day, Mr. President said, ‘Barrister Shittu, I want to commend you for your hard work on this memo, but this is an overambitious project’.

“That was my saddest day in government. This is one of the things that happened,, and I was not happy but at the end of the day, when the federal executive council as a body rejects a proposal, you cannot do anything.”

“We do know very well that Nigeria had virtually been run aground before he (Buhari) came onboard. Even as someone who served in the Buhari government during the first term, I am always honest enough to admit certain failures that we had.”

Shittu added that the president was sometimes kept in the dark about contract award processes and the goings-on in his administration.

“Let me tell you, there were a lot of manipulations, and we even heard that a lot of the so-called approvals did not emanate from President Buhari. There were a lot of manipulations and approvals that did not emanate from the president. I am telling you confidently that a lot of it did not get his attention,” he said.

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Adebayo Shittu, former minister of communications, says some of the female ministers in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet dress like beauty pageant contestants. 

Shittu said this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

At the opening of a three-day retreat for ministers and presidential aides on Wednesday, Tinubu warned that ministers who do not deliver on their assignments and set targets will be sent packing from the federal cabinet.

Asked what he made of the president’s warning to members of his team, Shittu said: “I’m happy that President Tinubu appointed a number of female ministers but my impression whenever I see them on television is as if they are going to beauty competitions based on the type of dresses they wear”.

He said there is a need for all ministers to show that they are serious about the business of governance.

“I think there is need for us (APC) as a government to show more seriousness in the assignments that we have in this government,” he said.

COMPARING LEADERSHIP STYLES

Shittu who served as the minister of communications under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2019, also compared the leadership styles of his former boss and Tinubu.

He said Buhari did not issue threats of sack to his ministers, adding that the former president did not supervise his appointees.

Shittu said the warning Tinubu issued to his appointees during the retreat would make them sit up.

The former minister said Tinubu’s warning to the ministers shows that he intends to do things differently.

He said Buhari was the kind of president who handed assignments to appointees without demanding feedback or results.

“Buhari did not give anybody any threat. Buhari is not Tinubu and Tinubu is not Buhari,” he said.

“With all due respect to him, Buhari is a more reserved person. He is one person who gives a job and rarely never ask how you are going about it.

“It is unfortunate but I have to say this for national interest so that the government coming after him will learn lessons.

“Once you are there, you are there. If you are in Buhari’s government, if you don’t go and meet him, probably in the next four years, he will not ask about you.

“In terms of policy formulation and supervision, we rarely did not have such thing. I’m happy that President Tinubu is trying to do things differently.”

FASHOLA’S TAKE ON LEADERSHIP STYLES

In April, Babatunde Fashola, former minister of works and housing, had also described Buhari as a leader who delegates and moves on, and Tinubu as a nocturnal boss who micromanages. “One delegates completely, the other delegates and stays with you,” Fashola said.

“I was speaking with somebody and I said imagine there are two football coaches; President Muhammadu Buhari is the type of football coach that will prepare his team, sit in the dugout and watch them play for 90 minutes.

“He (Buhari) trusts them to do the work and believes there is nothing he can do. Asiwaju will be that kind of coach playing the game with them (players) on the field.”

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Both Osunbor and Mohammed are two of the three persons nominated from one of the political groups that worked for the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election.

The political group, Elites Coalition for Good Governance with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume as the national leader, was said to have recommended three persons for ministerial position.

The third person nominated was a former Minister of Communications under President Muhammadu Buhari, Adebayo Shittu, from Oyo State, but his nomination appears to be having issues as the state governor, Seyi Makinde, was said to have been given the mandate to nominate someone.

Recall that Governor Makinde was among the then G-5 (Integrity Group) governors that worked against the presidential candidate of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in the February 25 presidential election.

Other members of the then G-5 Governors are former Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

It was reported that Makinde and Wike worked for the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

A source close to the Elites Coalition for Good Governance, which was before the election called Northern Elites Coalition for Good Governance, told Vanguard that the three names had been submitted as ministerial nominees.

The  source further stated that the Northern Elites for Good Governance, which later changed to Elites Coalition for Good Governance to give it a national identity, worked assiduously for President Tinubu in the election.

According to the source, Northern Elites Coalition for Good Governance was fashioned after the group, with the name, “House-to-House,” with the aim of making people to be part of governance.

He explained that “House-to-House” was established to make people be aware of their responsibilities, including the right to ask questions from their leaders, for them to be aware of the fact that they had every right to know what their leaders were doing.

“We worked for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The present Secretary to Government of the Federation (Senator George) Akume was our national president and Ambassador Musa Muhammed from Jigawa State, Prof. Osunbor from Edo State, former governor, former minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu.  In fact, we normally hold our meetings in his (Shittu) house.

“Three of our members have been tipped for ministerial positions. Prof. Osunbor, Musa Mohammed and Shittu. I don’t think his own (Shittu) will sail through but we are still praying.

“All the state coordinators from all the northern states and the southwest nominated the three persons and we asked our national executive to push it through.”

The source told our correspondent that  Osunbor campaigned for Asiwaju, adding that immediately after the election “we now changed it to Elites Coalition for Good Governance.”

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Shittu spoke in Osogbo when he featured on “The Frontliners”, a programme organised by the association of veteran journalists, Osun state branch.

He described the speculation that President Muhammadu Buhari would be seeking a third term as “idiotic”.

He said the “Buhari factor” increased the popularity and acceptance of the ruling party in the last two general elections.

“In the last two elections, Buhari got over 15 million votes and that is because he is on the ballot. From the north alone, he got over 12 million votes on each occasion, ” he said.

“If the APC is not careful and put its house in order, where will the vote come in 2023 if the magnet of Buhari is no more on the ballot?

“Buhari is the most selfless leader Nigeria ever had. This is one president who when elected slashed his salary by 50 percent

“As we also know, his lifestyle for the past 20 years has not changed. He is not flamboyant. What he is looking for is good legacy.

“Obasanjo failed when he attempted it (third term); so you think a less ambitious person would now be the one to do that? It will not happen, so I think it is not a matter we should focus on. It is a waste of time. ”

Shittu, who had aspired for Oyo state governorship seat in the 2019 elections, was disqualified by the APC for skipping the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

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Shittu, who made the disclosure in an interview with NAN, said although he did not expect it, he took it as his fate.

Majority of the 14 ministers reappointed by the president retained their portfolios.

“Of course, I expected that I will be reappointed (as a minister) but when it didn’t happen, as a Muslim, it didn’t take me five minutes before I accepted that what has come, it’s the will of God.

“And I have also found comfort in a Quranic verse when God promised that what is to come later is better than what is with you now.

“So for me, it says we must accept that there is always something better with God which he gives to his beloved.

“I see myself as a beloved of God. I have come a long way and I have served at the state and national levels and the experience that I have garnered over the last three and half years cannot be purchased from the stores or from the market.”

He said as a public officer, one must always have it in one’s mind that “whatever has a beginning will necessarily have an end.”

“And it is not how long one stays in public office but how well you are able to distinguish yourself,” he said.

The ex-minister, who is a legal practitioner, said he had decided to fall back to his profession.

“I want to thank God that I am one politician who has a second address in the sense that, if I am not a minister, I will be doing some other productive things which will also contribute to national development,” he said.

“Of course, I would have wished that I have other opportunities to serve. I believe the chapter of my public service is not closed.

“By the grace of God, I will continue to be relevant in national development. As a lawyer of about 40 years, I now have my chambers opened in Abuja. So now, I am back in practice.”

Shittu, who thanked God for the opportunity to serve as minister, appreciated the president for the appointment.

“I have been a local politicians for almost 40 years before the opportunity to serve at the national level. I really appreciate it and I want to say that I am eternally grateful to Mr President,” he said.

“So for me to have been in office for three and half years, I think it is a rare privilege for which I will continue to thank God and to continue to thank Mr President.”

The former minister, who skipped the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), had aspired for the governorship seat of Oyo state in the last election but was disqualified by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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The APC had disqualified Shittu from the state’s governorship primary over his failure to partake in the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

Following this, the minister had sued the party, seeking redress for being screened out of the primary election which held last year.

Shittu had argued that the 1979 constitution, under which he first contested for a political post, did not make it mandatory for anyone seeking an elective position to present an NYSC certificate.

He had prayed the court to determine whether the ground for disqualifying him was lawful or a contravention of the constitution.

But delivering judgement on Friday, P.I Ajoku, presiding judge, struck out the suit because Shittu did not file the case within the time stipulated by law.

“I must first consider the provision of section 285 of the constitution that makes it mandatory for all pre-election matters to be filed within 14 days of occurrence,” she said.

“This particular case was not filed within 14 days, but outside the date. Therefore, I will not bother going into the merit of the case.

“Haven’t failed to satisfy the dictates of the constitution, the matter is hereby, struck out.”

In his reaction to the ruling , Adebayo Ojo, the defence counsel, said the law has taken it due course.

“The judge acted by the 1999 constitution and it is a victory for democracy,” Ojo said.

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The APC had disqualified Shittu from the Oyo state governorship primary over his failure to partake in the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

Shittu had failed to present himself for the scheme despite graduating from the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) at age 25.

Following this, the minister sued the party, seeking redress for being screened out of the governorship primary election which held last year.

Also joined in the suit is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The minister had argued that the 1979 constitution, under which he first contested for a political post, did not make it mandatory for anyone seeking an elective position to present an NYSC certificate.

At the court on Wednesday, Abdulhakeem Mustafa, counsel to the plaintiff, had among other things, urged the court to determine whether the ground for disqualifying his client was lawful or a contravention of the constitution.

Mustafa argued that the constitution of Nigeria required anyone seeking to be a state governor to possess a maximum of Senior Secondary School Certificate and not necessarily an NYSC certificate.

He tendered a 38-paragraph affidavit and 13 exhibits before the court to support his claims.

But opposing the plaintiff’s prayer, Adebayo Ojo, the defence counsel, said the matter was already a dead issue.

“My lord, the plaintiff is merely flogging a dead horse because the matter is of no benefit to him or the party, APC,” he said.

“It has become academic; the sister case he filed in federal high court, Abuja, has also been struck out.”

After filing of written addresses by the plaintiff and the defendants, P.I. Ajoku, the judge, fixed Thursday afternoon for judgment on the relieves sought by the minister.

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Shittu who lost in the race for the governorship ticket said without restitution, there won’t be peace in the APC.

The National Working Committee of the APC had raised the Peace and Reconciliation Committee for each of the six geopolitical zones to reconcile aggrieved members ahead of the general elections.

The minister joins the list of Governor Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and his counterpart in Imo, Rochas Okorocha, who had threatened to work against the party’s governorship candidates in their states.

Speaking during a media chat in Abuja, Shittu accused the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and Oyo Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, of being the brains behind his exclusion from the party’s primaries.

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This comes on the heels of the minister’s failed bid to get the nod of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the governorship election in Oyo State next year.

He was disqualified by the party’s Electoral Committee over his inability to present his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, a decision he currently contests in court.

Only last week, a truck stormed the MBO campaign office located in the Mokola area of the ancient city, evacuating the furniture and personal belongings of the Saki-born politician to an unknown destination.

Members of staff, who were approached over the development, declined comments but a source close to the managers of the property said the rent expired “around September this year and we doubt if the minister was willing to renew it as he did not come again for negotiation.

The spokesperson of the minister, Tajudeen Kareem, however said that the fittings were taken away for a replacement.

“Yes, it is true that the furniture had been taken away but that does not suggest that the minister is closing down the office. The plan is to replace them with better ones because President Muhammadu Buhari will visit the place during campaign which commences soon,” he said.

Reminded that the rent had allegedly elapsed since September, Kareem said: “I am not aware of that, all I can tell you is that there are plans to change the furniture for better ones befitting the status of Mr. president.”

The office was commissioned on January 20 this year, but had been deserted ever since. Even the immediate environment of the fenced two-storey building had been taken over by weeds.

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The APC screened Shittu out of the race for not presenting a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme discharge certificate.

According NAN, Shittu in the originating summons, argued that it was wrong for APC to disqualify him for not presenting the certificate.

The minister said participation in the NYSC scheme was not a condition precedent to be satisfied before he was appointed a minister.

Shittu is asking the court to determine “whether by the provision of Section 2(1) of the National Youth Service Corps Decree No. 24 of 1973 and/or any other provision of the Decree being the law in force as at 1978 when the Plaintiff graduated at the University of Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) he was under any legal obligation to have warranted the plaintiff’s participation in the National Youth Service Corps in the absence of a call-up instrument duly served on the Plaintiff by the National Youth Service Corps.

“Whether, by the combined reading of sections 176-183 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria [as Amended] and Article 20(iii) & (iv) of the Constitution of the All Progressive Congress; it is a condition that the gubernatorial aspirant of the 1st Defendant (APC) and/or any political party for that matter in Nigeria must present the National Youth Service Corps Discharge/Exemption Certificate;

”Whether it is ultra vires the powers of the 1st defendant to have disqualified the plaintiff from participating in its primary election for nomination of the governorship candidate of the 1st defendant in Oyo State for the 2019 General Election on the ground that the plaintiff does not possess National Youth Service Corps Discharge/Exemption Certificate;

”Whether it does not amount to denial of fair hearing as enshrined in section 36(1) of the 1999 constitution of as amended for the 1st defendant to have purportedly disqualified the plaintiff from contesting for governorship election in Oys state under the platform of the 1st defendant without availing the Plaintiff an opportunity to be heard on the allegations that the plaintiff avoided the National Youth Service Scheme; and

”Whether by the combined reading of the provisions of Sections 147(5), 65(1)(b) & (2), 66 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 12 of the National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap N84 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004, the plaintiff was qualified to have been appointed as a Minister capable of holding the office, and/or any other governmental office at any level notwithstanding the fact that he did not participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.”

In an affidavit in personally swore to and filed by A.U. Mustapha, his counsel, Shittu said there was no “call-up instrument” served on him when he graduated.

“I was liable but not obligated to have participated in the National Youth Service Corps Scheme both at the time I graduated from the said University and as at the time I was called to the Nigerian bar,” the affidavit read.

“I know as a fact that I was also not served any notice or notified in any manner to proceed to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

“I know as a fact that participation in the National Youth Service Corps programme is not one of the requirements to be satisfied under the 1st defendant’s constitution to enable me participate in the primary election for Nominating the party flag bearer for the office of governor of Oyo state in the 2019 general election. A copy of the Constitution of the 1st Defendant is hereby attached and marked as ‘Exhibit SHITTU 8’.

“I also know as a fact that under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) it is not a requirement for me to have participated in National Youth Service Corps Scheme to be eligible for participation in the 1st Defendant’s primary election for Nomination of its flag bearer in Oyo State for the 2019 General election.

“I know also as a fact that the Electoral Act 2010 [as amended] did not make participation in the National Youth Service Corps Scheme a condition precedent for contesting any elective office whatsoever. I know also that participation in NYSC Scheme is not one of the requirements to enable me take part in primary election for nomination of the 1st defendant’s flag bearer for the office of governor of Oyo state in the 2019 General election.”

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