General

Seun Onigbinde bows to pressure, resigns as Technical Adviser to Budget minister

Published

September 16, 2019

Co-founder of BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde, on Monday, announced his resignation as the Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba.

He made this announcement in a note he posted on his Medium page titled ‘An Update On My Recent Appointment’, a link of which he shared on his official Twitter handle.

Onigbinde said,

“Upon further reflections on the furore that has been generated by my new role as the Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, I humbly resign the appointment.”

Recall that his appointment which came to public knowledge last Friday generated a series of social media reactions with many slamming him for ‘lowering his standard’ as an advocate and critic to take up a political appointment with the government he constantly criticised.

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The criticisms became more intense when Twitter users discovered that Onigbinde had deleted his account over fears of backlashes from Nigerians.

In the Medium note he posted on Monday, Onigbinde wrote:

“Friends,

“Kindly recall that I sent out a note recently on my interest to seek new experiences and that I would be working as a Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning for a short period.

“It is clear that recent media reports about my appointment have created a complex narrative, which I believe would engender an atmosphere of mistrust, as I planned to proceed.

“Upon further reflections on the furore that has been generated by my new role as the Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, I humbly resign the appointment.

“I am very grateful to the Honourable Minister, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, for believing in my expertise and I also thank everyone who sent his or her congratulations to me in the short period. I have also been humbled by the faith and belief that numerous persons have expressed in me.

“My sincere interest is to see a Nigeria that grows and optimises resources for the benefits of all Nigerians.

“My loyalty to the good cause of our nation, Nigeria compelled me to accept the call to provide technical skills and this experience has more than strengthened it.

“I also want to wish the Nigerian Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, well. I will always be of help to the federal government in my capacity as the Director of BudgIT, a critical fiscal transparency group, as I have been to several agencies. I would also work to ensure that BudgIT continues to build civic awareness on the right of every Nigerian to know how public resources are managed.

“Thank you all.

“God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria”