The Presidency on Sunday 4th June, 2017 faulted an allegation of nepotism recently levelled against the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, by one Ismailia Farouk.
Farouk, in a message, that went viral on the social media, accused Osinbajo of appointing his aides majorly from his church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, or from the South-West, where he hails from.
But a statement from the Presidency on Sunday quoted Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters, Dr Bilkisu Saidu, dismissing the allegation while speaking on “Shirin Safe,” an interview programme on BBC Hausa Radio on Sunday.
The statement quoted Saidu as describing the nepotism allegation as ‘laughable, untrue, unfair and should not be taken seriously’.
The presidential aide was reported to have claimed that most senior positions in Osinbajo’s office were held by Muslims including individuals from the North.
“If you are talking about religion, the most senior official or position in the Office of the Vice-President apart from the Vice-President himself is the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President and the name of the person occupying that office is Abdulrahman Ipaye and he is a Muslim.
“The positions following the Chief of Staff’s in the order of hierarchy are the Special Advisers in the office of the Vice-President. Here there are three Special Advisers and two out of the three Special Advisers are Muslims, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Barrister Mariam Uwais from Kano State.
“If you look at the remaining senior positions in that office, most of them are in the hands of Muslims from the North,” Saidu said.