Shake-up in Aso Villa as Buhari Sacks First Lady’s Aide, Redeploys Three Others

*Okays Zorro, two others as aides to Aisha

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sack of one aide of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari and the redeployment of three others.

He also approved the appointment of former President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mallam Sani Zorro, as media aide to the First Lady.

Buhari has also approved the appointment of two more personal aides to Aisha.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the president’s spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the disengagement of the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic and Social Events, Office of the First Lady, Zainab Kareem, took effect from Friday, February 11, 2022.

At the instance of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the president also approved the immediate redeployment of three of the political appointees in her office to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, pending their assignment to some other government departments or agencies.

Those 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).

President Buhari also gave the go-ahead for the appointment of a journalist, politician and former lawmaker, Zorro, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Strategy, Office of the First Lady.
Zorro, a famous journalist, brings to the new job decades-long experience in media practice, publishing and unionist leadership.

He was at various times President of NUJ, West African Journalists Association (WAJA) and the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).
Zorro was in the House of Representatives where he chaired the committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Refugees and Initiatives on North-east.

Buhari has also approved the appointment of two more personal aides to the First Lady.
According to a separate statement issued by Shehu, A’isha Rimi, a law graduate of the University of Buckingham in England is appointed as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Legal Matters, Office of the First Lady.

Rimi, is a resourceful administrative executive and a founding partner at Africa Law Practice, a commercial law firm in Nigeria.

Dr. Zabah Muhammad Jawa is also appointed as Personal Physician to the First Lady.
Jawa, a Senior Consultant in Nuclear medicine and European Certified in Nuclear Medicine is a Fellow of the College of Radiologists of Nigeria and Fellow of the South African College of Nuclear Physicians.

No reason was given for the reshuffle but it came barely 48 hours after the first lady was spotted on an evening train returning from Kaduna to Abuja.

Pictures of the First Lady sitting in one of the cabins of the Kaduna to Abuja rail line, were all over the media on Friday morning, including some major national dailies, leaving many of those conversant presidential travels wondering.
She has since explained why she decided to travel back to Abuja by train rather than following the routine flight back.

Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the First Lady, Aliyu Abdullahi, said she did it to encourage patronage for the railway service system in the country.
Abdullahi explained that the first lady intended to interact with ordinary Nigerians while on the journey, and also show Nigerians that travelling by rail is safe and effective.