Former Muhammadu Buhari aide and chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie, is presently having housing problems in the United Kingdom (UK).
Three months prior, her principal, who helped her win a prominent position, turned over control to his successor, President Bola Tinubu.
REPORTERS AT LARGE recalls that President Tinubu last Thursday approved the appointment of a new board and management of the NDDC after sacking the one led by Onochie.
Reports had emerged on Saturday that Onochie who was first appointed social media aide by Buhari in 2015, was embarrassed and became stranded after she was kicked out by family members.
“After 8 years of feeding fat as SA Social Media to the President & Chairman NDDC Board. Lauretta is back on the streets of London after she was ignored by the new NDDC Board. She went back to London without prior notice 2 forcefully eject the family living in her apartment on rent,” a Twitter user had said.
In a video she posted on her Twitter handle she was seen being harassed by a family member who said she could not share a room with her.
A little child, who was seen with a belt also yelled at the former presidential aide.
“I have told my dad to call the cops again, you can’t stay in my house again. I don’t know you, leave our house,” a voice was heard saying.
“Who are you? I don’t know her; she came in today and here is she harassing me,” the person said in another video.
In a post, the former presidential aide explained that her cousin, Victor Ashiedu Fejokwu, and his wife, Ruth Emereze, were stranded in the UK and she took them into her home.
She said that one year later, she made plans to return to the apartment to take possession but the couple became unreachable.
Onochie said various attempts to gain entrance to the apartment were blocked by the couple until she used the police to evict them.
Onochie, in the post, titled, “WHAT A BATTLE, I RECOVERED MY HOME!!!”, wrote, “My Cousin, Victor Ashiedu Fejokwu and his wife, Ruth Emereze were stranded, in fact, homeless at the time. I took pity on them, took them in, to house them in my home.
“A year ago, when I started making plans to return to continue housing them, they blocked my phone number. I had no access to my letters. Consequently, I missed quite a number of appointments.
“Having the key to the property, I turned up at the door, twice. They installed bolts and bolted the door from the inside and refused to let me in.
“They stopped contributing to the rent when they both had jobs, preferring to host lavish parties.
“At some point before they stopped completely, my sister, Queenesther Nwaise helped to settle many months of rent. My immediate family too, helped.
“I tried again for the last time. When I knocked, his wife sneaked from the garden into the house, to bolt the front door against me.
“Miraculously. Miraculously. She forgot to lock the garden door through where she sneaked into the house. I got access to the house through that door. She called in an IPOB thug and a young lady.
“They became nasty. Of course, I called the police who dealt them a heavy blow, telling them they must vacate for me unless I was willing to continue to house them.
“The cowardly thug ran away before the arrival of the Police. The other young lady went to my bed and spread herself out. Of course, I got her out.”
Onochie stated that the couple began to plead, asking to be allowed to stay but she refused and they moved out two days later.
She explained that although a bitter one, the experience would not make her stop helping those who need her assistance.
“Ashiedu and his wife will reap what they did to me. Bountifully,” Onochie stated.
The couple are yet to react to Onochie’s allegations.
In her days as a social media aide, Onochie stirred a lot of controversy, especially over the way and manner she attacked perceived opponent of her principal.
She was at the receiving end of trolls, especially on Twitter and Facebook.
This probably led to stiff public resistance when Buhari nominated her as a national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2021.
Buhari had refused to bow to the pressure to withdraw her nomination, but the Senate eventually rejected her.
One year later, the then-president appointed her as the substantive Chairman of NDDC and the senate confirmed the appointment.
It was love lost relationship with top management staff during her stint as NDDC board chair.
Shortly after the board inauguration, Onochie clashed with the Managing Director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, over control of the agency.
All efforts to resolve the crisis fell through. President Bola Tinubu eventually fired her but left Ogbuku in office.
