Fresh revelations have emerged on why President Bola Tinubu sacked Fegho Umunubo, his Special Assistant on Digital and Creative Economy, who worked under Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
Presidency insiders told Premium Times that Umunubo was dismissed after being linked to a string of alleged scams in the creative industry, which he reportedly executed under the guise of his presidential office.
According to the sources, Umunubo struck questionable sponsorship agreements with filmmakers and creatives, promising government-backed funding and visibility that never materialised.
One of the most notable cases involved Arese Ugwu, author and creator of The Smart Money Woman series.
Documents reportedly seen by Premium Times showed Umunubo, acting in his official capacity, signed a deal pledging ₦10 million sponsorship for the premiere and marketing of Lara Unlimited, a spin-off of Ugwu’s work.
The agreement also granted the presidency’s digital economy office extensive promotional rights, including branding on event backdrops and movie posters, a 30–45 second advert before screenings, podcast features, and influencer shoutouts. However, the pledge was never honoured.
On August 30, Ms Ugwu publicly accused Umunubo of fraud in a post on Instagram.
She wrote, “Just so it’s clear that I’m not crashing out over ₦5 million naira as Fegho Umunubo would like you to believe.
“He owes me ₦10 million, but this is about something bigger… It’s about dangling a fund of $617 million and another of ₦5 billion for over 12 months… playing games with my resilience when I was trying so hard to pivot from the gbese I was already in. Then finding out that he had no authorisation to be signing the agreements he was signing or making the promises he was making on behalf of the Vice President of Nigeria.”
Presidency insiders alleged that Ugwu’s case was not an isolated incident.
“He scammed multiple people in the industry using that office,” a source said, alleging that Umunubo consistently leveraged his proximity to power to lure Nollywood practitioners into similar deals that never materialised.
Umunubo was quietly relieved of his duties in August but, according to sources, continued to parade himself as a presidential aide.
This prompted the State House to issue a public notice on Monday formally announcing his disengagement.
The notice, signed by Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Information at the State House, warned stakeholders in the creative sector to desist from dealing with him.
“Kindly note that he no longer represents this administration in any capacity. Henceforth, anyone who interfaces with him in the name of President Tinubu’s administration does so at his or her own risk,” the statement read.
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