The Republic

Chapter III · Power

Aides & Appointees

The non-cabinet office-holders of Aso Villa — Chiefs of Staff, NSAs, Principal Secretaries, Spokespersons — whose offices are not in the Constitution but who hold the daily levers of the Presidency. Each position is a collapsable group containing every appointee in chronological order; click a name for the profile.

▸Chief of StaffChief of Staff to the President

5 on the record

The senior coordinating office of Aso Villa. Not a constitutional office — created administratively under successive presidencies, formalised under Buhari.

  1. 2007 — 2010

    General Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar (rtd)

    Appointed by Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

    First post-1999 Chief of Staff to the President. Career soldier; former GOC 3 Armoured Division.

  2. 2010 — 2015

    Mike Oghiadomhe

    Appointed by Goodluck Jonathan

    Former Deputy Governor of Edo State (1999–2003). Chief of Staff to President Jonathan for the duration of his administration.

  3. 2015 — 2020

    Abba Kyari

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Lawyer and former banker. The most powerful COS in Nigerian history. Died of COVID-19 on 17 April 2020.

  4. 2020 — 2023

    Prof. Ibrahim Gambari

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Former UN Under-Secretary-General; former Foreign Minister (1984–85). Appointed COS after Abba Kyari's death.

  5. 2023 — sitting

    Femi Gbajabiamila

    Appointed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu

    Immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives (2019–23). Sitting Chief of Staff under Tinubu.

▸National Security AdviserNational Security Adviser

5 on the record

Statutory adviser to the President on national security. The NSA chairs the National Security Council under the National Security Agencies Act 1986.

  1. 1999 — 2006; 2010 — 2012

    Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (rtd)

    Appointed by Olusegun Obasanjo; Goodluck Jonathan

    NSA under Obasanjo (1999–2006) and Jonathan (2010–12). Earlier Director of Military Intelligence.

  2. 2010 — 2012

    Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi (rtd)

    Appointed by Goodluck Jonathan

    Former Chief of Defence Staff. NSA 2010–12. Died in a 15 December 2012 helicopter crash.

  3. 2012 — 2015

    Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd)

    Appointed by Goodluck Jonathan

    NSA 2012–15. Detained 2015–2019 over the 'Dasukigate' allegations relating to the diversion of US$2.1 bn in arms procurement funds.

  4. 2015 — 2023

    Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd)

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Career intelligence officer. NSA under Buhari for two full terms, 2015–2023.

  5. 2023 — sitting

    Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

    Appointed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu

    Pioneer chair of the EFCC (2003–07); 2011 ACN presidential candidate. Sitting NSA under Tinubu.

▸Principal SecretaryPrincipal Secretary to the President

2 on the record

Career civil-service equivalent — the senior personal-staff officer of the President.

  1. 1999 — 2007

    Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

    Appointed by Olusegun Obasanjo

    Senior civil servant, public commentator and author. Principal Secretary during the Obasanjo years.

  2. 2007 — 2010

    David Edevbie

    Appointed by Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

    Principal Secretary to President Yar'Adua. Later Edo / Delta State Commissioner for Finance.

▸SpokespersonSpecial Adviser on Media & Publicity (Spokesperson)

4 on the record

Public face of the Presidency on day-to-day media. Sometimes split between a Special Adviser and a Senior Special Assistant.

  1. 1999–2003; 2012–15

    Doyin Okupe

    Appointed by Olusegun Obasanjo; Goodluck Jonathan

    Special Assistant on Media to two Presidents — Obasanjo, then Jonathan.

  2. 2015 — 2023

    Femi Adesina

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Special Adviser on Media & Publicity to President Buhari. Former editor of The Sun newspaper.

  3. 2015 — 2023

    Garba Shehu

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, 2015–2023. Career journalist.

  4. 2023 — sitting

    Bayo Onanuga

    Appointed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu

    Special Adviser on Information & Strategy. Founding editor of The News magazine.

▸SGFSecretary to the Government of the Federation

0 on the record

Senior career office that runs the machinery of government. The SGF coordinates the Federal Executive Council.

Office still being compiled.

▸Official PhotographerOfficial Photographer to the President

2 on the record

The visual archivist of the Presidency — the photographer whose images become the public record of an administration.

  1. 2015 — 2023

    Bayo Omoboriowo

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Official Photographer to President Muhammadu Buhari. The photographer behind the defining presidential imagery of 2015–2023.

  2. 2023 — sitting

    Nosa Asemota

    Appointed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu

    Official Photographer to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from 30 May 2023. Previously personal photographer to Asiwaju Seun Fakorede.

▸Digital & New MediaSpecial Adviser on Digital & New Media

1 on the record

The Presidency's bridge to the social web — the office that owned the President's online voice from 2015 onward, as Nigerian political discourse migrated to Twitter / X, Facebook and WhatsApp.

  1. January 2016 — May 2019

    Tolu Ogunlesi

    Appointed by Muhammadu Buhari

    Special Assistant to the President on Digital & New Media. First holder of the Presidency's digital-communications brief.