He promised to hit the ground running and has been walking his talk; on Thursday, three weeks into his presidency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu unveiled eight out of his approved 20 slots as his Special Advisers to oversee important departments of government under his watch.

The list shows that the appointees have been long-time associates and political allies of President Tinubu, some served in his cabinet as Commissioners but they all participated actively into the running of his campaigns, following him around to meeting key leading lights of the economy at town hall meetings and other strategic focused-group assemblies.

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The a list of eight special advisers was announced by State House information official, Abiodun Oladunjoye, in a statement. The statement reads:

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL ADVISERS

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the following as Special Advisers:

1.Mr. Dele Alake; Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications and Strategy
2. Mr. Yau Darazo; Special Adviser, Political and Intergovernmental Affairs
3. Mr. Wale Edun; Special Adviser, Monetary Policies
4. Mrs. Olu Verheijen; Special Adviser, Energy
5. Mr. Zachaeus Adedeji; Special Adviser, Revenue
6. Mr. Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser, Security
7. Mr. John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu; Special Adviser, Industry, Trade and Investment.
8. Dr (Mrs.) Salma Ibrahim Anas; Special Adviser, Health

The list and their portfolio shows the direction the government may be going under President Tinubu as the portfolios show a marked difference from what used to be. For instance, the office of Special Adviser Media has been transformed and now named Special Adviser Special Duties, Communications and Strategy. This office now combines more responsibilities and will be one to watch in this dispensation.

There is also the office of Special Adviser Monetary Policies which never existed and it most likely that this office would supervise on behalf of the President, activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria while the ministry of Finance and Budget may now concentrate on fiscal policies.

There is also the newly created office of Special Adviser Energy, which will invariably monitor and issue policy directives to guide the oil and gas industry. The portfolio of Minister of petroleum Resources was held by President Buhari throughout his eight-year tenure.

Another radical shift is the appointment of Special Adviser, Security. Hitherto, there used to be office of the National Security Adviser. Analysts are still curious whether the new Special Adviser would appoint the role of the NSA. However, for the first time since the return to democratic rule in 1999, a retired Police Officer has been named to oversee the affairs in that sector. All the previous holders of the position were retired soldiers and men of the Nigerian Army.

The newly appointed advisers are the former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, the former Lagos commissioner of information, Dele Alake as the special adviser, special duties, communication, and strategy, and Dele Alake, the former Lagos commissioner for finance, Wale Edun as the special adviser on monetary policies.

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is also a strong personality to reckon with in the country’s story of the fight against corruption and fraudulent activities. As the first chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Ribadu became well-known for looking into cases of financial mismanagement and theft of public funds involving powerful politicians and well-known Nigerians from various fields and prosecuting them.

As a lawyer, Nuhu Ribadu obtained his law degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna. He was called to the bar in 1984, and he went back to ABU to obtain his master’s degree in law. Ribadu was also a police officer before he was appointed to head the EFCC.

It is not yet known if the former top police officer will serve as the president’s national security adviser, a position that many analysts had previously predicted he would hold in Tinubu’s administration.

Meanwhile, Dele Alake, who is among the president’s closest allies, has been one of the best guesses as to the people who will make up his innermost cabinet. Having served as a media aide for the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, general election, Chief MKO Abiola, Alake, and President Tinubu were major voices against the military draconian decree for the restoration of democracy in the country.

Born in Surulere, Lagos in 1956, Mr Alake had his primary and secondary education at Surulere Baptist Primary School and Christ School, Ado Ekiti respectively. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Lagos before going on to earn a master’s degree in mass communication from the same university.

Dele Alake has worked as a journalist for many years and has experience in both print and broadcast journalism as well as other areas of the field. His foray into politics began when he was appointed by Chief MKO Abiola as one of the advisers on information for his presidential campaign. After the June 12 election was declared invalid, Alake and his allies fled the country due to the threats made against them because of their activism against the military government.

Before being promoted to the position of commissioner in the state, he was first chosen as the special advisor on communication and strategy to Senator Bola Tinubu, the governor of Lagos State, in 1999. He was also a member of the Tinubu presidential campaign media team.

Similar to Mr. Alake, Mr. Wale Edun has been a longtime ally of the president. He served as the commissioner of economics for the state of Lagos from 1999 to 2007. He was also the brain box behind the rejuvenation of Lagos economy at the early stage of the country’s return to democracy

Wale Edun earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of London, and he later pursued his master’s degree in economics at the University of Sussex. Mr Edun is renowned for his understanding of economics and his accomplishments in the financial sector.

With his background in merchant banking, corporate finance and international finance internationally and nationally, Mr Edun is the CEO of the Chapel Hill Denham Group in Lagos, a top investment bank. He was also an executive director of the merchant bank, Investment Banking and Trust Company Limited, now Stanbic IBTC.

He has also served as the Head of Treasury and Deputy Head of Corporate Finance at Chase Merchant Bank, where he managed the activities of capital market and financial advisory operations for multinational corporations.

Mr. Edun also managed the economic and financial packages for nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Trinidad, Indonesia, India, and other countries in the east, at the World Bank.

Therefore, it is expected of all newly appointed special advisers to play supporting roles in the presidency by assisting the president in carrying out his duties with their experiences, track records, and expertise