New information has surfaced regarding the dismissal of Fegho Umunubo, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital and Creative Economy, who worked under the office of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to sources within the presidency, Umunubo was removed from his position after being linked to a series of fraudulent deals in Nigeria’s creative sector.
These scams reportedly involved false promises of government support for various creative projects.
One of the most notable incidents involved a sponsorship agreement with Arese Ugwu, author and producer of The Smart Money Woman series.
Documents reviewed by the press indicate that Umunubo, in his official capacity, pledged ₦10 million in support for the premiere and promotion of Lara Unlimited, a spin-off of Ugwu’s earlier work.
The agreement also promised branding and visibility for the digital economy office on event materials, screening ads, podcast features and influencer promotions.
However, Umunubo allegedly failed to deliver on these terms.
On August 30, Ms. Ugwu took to Instagram to publicly accuse Umunubo of fraud.
“Just so it’s clear that I’m not crashing out over 5 million naira as Fegho Umunubo would like you to believe,” she wrote in her post.
Sources claim this was not an isolated case. Several figures in Nollywood were reportedly deceived into similar fake sponsorship deals, with Umunubo allegedly using his presidential title to gain trust and access.
“He scammed multiple people in the industry using that office,” a source told Premium Times.
Although he was quietly removed from office in August, Umunubo allegedly continued to present himself as a serving presidential aide.
This prompted the State House to release a formal public statement on Monday, officially confirming his disengagement, the first such public disclaimer under the Tinubu administration.
When contacted for comments, Umunubo did not respond to messages sent via Instagram. However, he acknowledged his exit from government service in a post, writing:
“It’s been an honour to serve this great country and the creative industry.”
