FACT CHECK: Was NDLEA MD appointed to Tinubu’s Presidential transition committee?

CLAIM: A seemingly coordinated and widely-shared tweet has gone viral with the claim that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu has appointed the Managing Director of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Buba Marwa into his presidential transition committee.

VERDICT: False!

FULL TEXT

Last Thursday, Tinubu released a 13-man list of transition committee members. The list was contained in a letter sent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

One of the names on the list is Zainab Buba Marwa, who, according to the letter, will coordinate the committee’s pre-inauguration dinner and gala night. Others on the list are the National Women Leader of the All Progressive Congress, Betta Edu; ex-Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Bayo Onanuga; current National Deputy Chairman (North) of APC, Abubakar Kyari.

Also featuring in the committee are Col. Abdulazeez Yar’Adua, a younger brother of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua; Samira Saddik (Children’s Day), Abuh Andrew Abuh (Accommodation), Dr. Danladi Bako (Inaugural Lecture), Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Kabir (Transportation and Logistics), Donald Wokoma (Protocol and Invitation), Bishop Adegbite (Church Service) and Imam Faud (Jumat Service).

Following the release of the list, many tweeps started circulating that the NDLEA boss, Buba Marwa, was a transition committee member. This is on the background of an allegation that the President-elect had been involved in drug trafficking before.

VERIFICATION

The ‘Buba Marwa’ on the list is not that of the NDLEA boss, but that of his daughter.

READ ALSO:FACT CHECK: Did Putin ever refer to Africa as a cemetery as claimed in a Tik Tok Video

Who is Zainab Marwa?

She is officially known as Zainab Marwa Abubakar, married to Dr Abdulkadir Abubakar. She is a lawyer, politician and philanthropist. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2004.

She served in the presidency as Special Assistant, Training Consultant, and Head of Department, all in SERVICOM.

She is the daughter to the chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa

By Olúwatóbi Ọdé̩yínká

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now