The name, Tunde Sabiu has been trending across Nigeria since the shocking revelation by the Special Investigator on the Central Bank of Nigeria that the approval for last year’s naira redesign came from Tunde Sabiu, and not former president, Muhammadu Buhari.

As reported by Punch, the investigator, Jim Obazee revealed that Buhari didn’t expressly approve the naira redesign. Rather, it was his nephew and aide Tunde Sabiu, who first told Emefiele in September 2022 to consider the redesign of the naira and on October 6, 2022, Emefiele wrote to Buhari that he wanted to redesign and reconfigure the N1000, N500 and N200 notes.

The latest revelation has raised questions about the past government and the influence of external figures in governance and decision making during the past administration.

However, the big question right now is who is Tunde Sabiu? and why did he wield so much power at the villa.

A quick google search shows that Tunde Sabiu has no wikipedia profile, hence, there exist very little information about him. So we will rely on media reports in an attempt to profile him.

Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf, was a personal secretary to former President Muhammadu Buhari. He is said to have gotten the name ‘Tunde’ after being likened to the late Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari’s second in command during his military regime in the early 1980s.

Yusuf is a native of Daura, a community in Katsina State, which is also the former President’s hometown.

The details concerning his age and date of birth are relatively sketchy but he is said to have been born in 1985. He is the son of Mamman Daura’s younger sister, Hajia Halima. Mamman Daura is the former president’s niece.

Sabiu Yusuf attended the Bayajidda Primary school, Daura and had his secondary education at the Teachers College, Daura. He had his tertiary education at the Bayero University, Kano while he completed his mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in Kaduna State.

According to SaharaReporters, Yusuf who is in his 30s is regarded as one of the wealthiest young men in Nigeria today. Until his appointment by President Buhari, he was said to be surviving on proceeds made from the sale of recharge cards in his native Daura.