The Arrogance of Power: O’tega Ogra’s Disgraceful Deflection in the Timi Dakolo Payment Scandal -By Ayo Akin-Olugbade

On Sunday, October 12, 2025, a storm of outrage brewed online, centered on a festering controversy that exposes the callous impunity of Nigeria’s political elite. At the heart of this debacle is O’tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital Engagement, Strategy, and New Media, a man once lauded as a “strategic minimalist” and a “tactician” reshaping governance.

Yet, his latest response to Nigerian singer, Timi Dakolo’s public plea for payment reveals a chilling lack of conscience, a shameless deflection of responsibility, and a tone-deaf arrogance that insults not only the artist, but also every struggling Nigerian in this trying economy.

The issue began when Timi Dakolo, one of Nigeria’s most respected vocalists, known for patriotic anthems like Great Nation and soulful ballads such as Everything (Amen), took to X (formerly Twitter) to make a simple plea:

“Mr @otegaogra please pick your calls. I did my job.”

There was no hint of celebrity entitlement in Dakolo’s words, just the frustration of a professional artist demanding payment for work reportedly tied to an event under Ogra’s purview.

The internet erupted. Nigerians flooded timelines with outrage. One user, @Tena__sammy, wrote, “Just pick his call and stop disturbing us. Pick the damn call or call him back!” Another, @iamossy_, fumed: “Pick up the damn phone and pay the dude what you owe him. How difficult is that? Pay up and shut the fuck up!”

As the backlash mounted, Ogra responded hours later with a statement that could only be described as an exercise in elitist deflection:

“I see and have noted the commentary. I will not engage in explication where none is required. My record is public and stands on its merits. Any further attempt to personalise a clearly institutional matter will be met with formal correction and the appropriate professional and legal redress.”

It was the kind of response that might impress a boardroom but infuriates a struggling populace. In one paragraph, Ogra managed to sidestep accountability, weaponize formality, and issue a thinly veiled threat — all without addressing the central issue: had Timi Dakolo been paid?

To unpack this statement is to confront a disturbing pattern in Nigeria’s political communication; the use of language as a shield for moral failure.

First, Ogra’s refusal to “engage in explication” is less restraint and more evasion. Dakolo wasn’t asking for a “clarification”; he was asking for his wages. In a country where inflation is crushing, the naira keeps tumbling, and millions can barely afford food, the refusal to acknowledge an unpaid artist feels not just tone-deaf, but inhumane. Dakolo is not a street performer demanding a tip; he’s a professional whose craft, like any worker’s labor, deserves compensation. Ogra’s silence, then condescension, strips that labor of dignity.

Second, the audacity to label this an “institutional matter” is a shameless deflection that reeks of hypocrisy. As a presidential aide, Ogra is part and parcel of the very institutions he seeks to absolve. He’s a key architect of the Tinubu administration’s digital strategy, a role that includes managing public perception and, presumably, ensuring contractors artists are paid promptly. To suggest that the buck stops anywhere but at his desk is a lie so transparent it insults the intelligence of every Nigerian following this saga. As one commenter, @ataweweattorney, pointedly asked, “Personal job for him or govt job so that we will know who to hold because you deserve to be paid for your services.”

The public sees through this charade: Ogra’s attempt to shift blame to an amorphous “institution” is a desperate bid to protect his own reputation while leaving Dakolo dangling.

Third, the threat of “formal correction and the appropriate professional and legal redress” is the pinnacle of arrogance. It is an act of intimidation disguised as professionalism — the reflex of a man too accustomed to wielding power without scrutiny.

In a country where delayed payments are a chronic plague evidenced by studies like the 2020 European Journal of Engineering and Technology Research pinpointing client disputes and slow processing as major culprits Ogra’s legal saber-rattling feels like a rich man’s tantrum against a worker he’s wronged. “The gall to even issue threats. Unbelievable,” tweeted @tobicomm. Another user, @_empighalo, mocked the bureaucratic phrasing: “So you were acting as an agent for a disclosed principal innit?” These highlight the public’s disgust at this overreach. This is not leadership; it’s the impunity of a man who believes his title shields him from accountability.

Ogra’s attitude lays bare a deeper rot. Ogra is not some obscure bureaucrat; he is a face of the Tinubu administration’s digital governance; the same administration that preaches reform and transparency. TheCable’s 2025 profile of Ogra described him as a “trusted mind” shaping Nigeria’s digital transformation. Yet, his refusal to address Dakolo’s grievance head-on betrays a lack of conscience in an economy where artists, like many others, are teetering on the edge.

With unemployment rampant and the cost of living spiraling exacerbated by Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal, every unpaid naira is a dagger to someone’s survival. Dakolo’s plea isn’t just about him; it’s a symbol of a system that exploits talent while its elites flaunt power.

The online backlash paints a damning picture. @SirALfredson’s cutting remark, “You sha de shameless and still moving around with braggadocio” and @yojora’s suggestion, “It’s best to pick up and properly explain these institutional issues sha,” reflect a public fed up with Ogra’s posturing.

Even those who defended Ogra’s “unquestionable record” could not neutralize the moral weight of the issue. The trending narrative, tying this to broader issues of unpaid dues in Nigeria’s entertainment industry only amplifies the stakes. To many Nigerians, this was no longer about a single transaction; it was about the psychology of power — a government aide refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing because accountability feels beneath him.

This isn’t about a single missed payment; it’s about a mindset. Ogra’s deflection is a microcosm of a government that promises reform but delivers excuses. As a presidential aide accused of impropriety, he has a duty to lead with transparency, not threats. His record may stand on its merits in some circles, but today, it stands tarnished by a refusal to face a wronged artist with the dignity he deserves.

In this trying economy, where every voice matters, Ogra’s silence and swagger are a betrayal of the trust he was meant to engineer. Let him pick up the phone, pay the man, and stop hiding behind the institutions he helps run before the public’s patience, like the naira, runs out completely.

If power means anything at all, it should mean responsibility. Until men like O’tega Ogra understand that, Nigeria will keep mistaking arrogance for authority and accountability will remain a stranger in the corridors of power.