Aisha Buhari Gets New Aide, Others Redeployed

A former president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mallam Sani Zorro, has been appointed as the new Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Strategy attached to the office of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Zorro was also at various times President West African Journalists Association (WAJA) and the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).

He was also in the House of Representatives where he chaired the committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Refugees and Initiatives on North East.

In what appears to be a major shake-up in the office of the First Lady, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment as well as the redeployment of a number of senior officials in her office. 

A statement issued on Saturday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) Garba Shehu, confirmed the development.

According to the statement, the president approved the immediate redeployment of three of the political appointees in the office of the First Lady to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, pending their assignment to some other government departments or agencies.

Affected by the redeployment are: Dr. Mohammed Kamal Abdulrahman, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Health and Development Partners and Personal Physician to the First Lady; Hadi Uba, Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Wole Aboderin, Special Assistant to the President on Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs.

Similarly approved with effect from 11th February is the disengagement of Zainab Kazeem, the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic and Social Events, Office of the First Lady.

The statement affirmed that Zorro, will bring to the new job decades-long experience in media practice, publishing and unionist leadership.