Mess around with him at your own peril. Until penultimate weekend when he got married in a lavish ceremony that had in attendance Vice President Yemi Osibajo, Speaker of the House Representatives, Yakubu Dogara: Governors, Ministers among other political bigwigs, many people did not know how influential Tunde Shaibu is.
Tunde got married to Fatima Bashir Jimoh at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna last Saturday. A nephew of Mamman Daura – described by many as Nigeria’s de facto president – Tunde is President Muhammadu Buhari’s godson and Personal Assistant. The president is reported to love him so much that he personally named him after his former deputy, Tunde Idiagbon. Idiagbon’s non-smiling, impassive façade complemented Buhari’s cold reticence when he served as Head of State, making them a formidable pair.
There had been whispers as to how powerful the lithe, almost anonymous young man is but only Aso Rock insiders could really tell. Sources say Tunde is hero-worshipped in Abuja and environs especially by those who know the workings of the presidency. Hence, when he sneezes, not a few top government officials catch a cold. He is that powerful
And he is said not to waste time in putting people where they belong. His Abuja home is also reported to be a Mecca of sort as lobbyists and favour-seekers persistently besiege the place for one favour or the other. On a day when he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, he is wont to ask everybody to leave and come some other time regardless of who or how long they had been waiting to see him.