Absence Of Substantive Heads Slows FG Agencies

President Muhammadu Buhari

Dozens of Federal Government agencies have no substantive heads nearly half a year after President Muhammadu Buhari sacked their chief executives and boards.

Daily Trust report continues:

The president sacked the boards of 26 federal agencies in February this year, but   replacements for most of them are yet to be made.

The boards of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and a few others were constituted recently. 

President Buhari appointed chief executives of agencies in the Ministry of Information and Culture last month and those of health last week.

However, the other agencies are now being headed by the most senior officials in acting capacity whom sources said lacked full legal powers over key decisions.

Power agencies

Four agencies in the power sector are still without properly constituted boards while others are yet to have substantive heads.

A new management for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) was only named yesterday after the government refused to renew the contract of Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Limited (MHINL) that elapsed last month.

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is yet to have a substantive head and a board. Its former Managing Director, Mr. Kenneth Achugbu was removed in January 2016 after five years in the position. The most senior official and Director of Project, Engr. Mohammed Abubakar Wasaram, has been holding the post in acting capacity.

The board supervises the activities of the agency especially on funding and what project to undertake.

For the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Mr. Anthony Akah has been the acting chairman since December 2015 after Dr Sam Amadi and six other commissioners ended their five-year term. The Presidency this week transmitted the nominees’ list to the National Assembly for screening.

The seven commissioners constitute the board of NERC. Its guide book, the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005 said key decisions could only be reached with a quorum of three or more commissioners. One of such is any decision to review electricity tariff, or withdraw the license of power firms.

The Presidency appointed Dr. Marilyn Amobi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) last week, but the agency is still without a board.
The previous one comprised of officials drawn from the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), Power, Works & Housing and Finance ministries, and chaired by the Finance Minister.
Trade & Investment

Almost all the agencies in the Ministry of Trade and Investment are without substantive heads since the sack of the chief executives last February.

For instance, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) is headed by Hajiya Ladi Katagum as an acting Executive Secretary.

The acting Director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is Dickson Onuoha while the acting Director General of the Bank of Industry is Mr Waheed Olagunju.
Also, the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) is headed by Mr. Samuel Kwambe, the council’s human resources director.

Engr Ahmed Abdu is in charge at the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPE) as acting Director General and the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has Dr. Paul Angya as acting DG.

Petroleum agencies

The Ministry of Petroleum Resources is not immune from this trend of absence of substantive heads. For instance, Mr. Aminu Ahmed Galadima has been acting Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) since February 2016.

The appointment of Mr. Galadima who was the General Manager Education and Training Department of the fund followed the disengagement of Mr. Femi Ajayi as the chief executive of the PTD.

At the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) its former Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Patrick Daziba Obah was asked to function as the acting Executive Secretary.

He took over from Mr. Denzil Amagbe Kentebe whose appointment was barely one year.
At the Petroleum Equalization Fund (Management) Board (PEF MB), Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi has been the acting Executive Secretary of the Board since February following the sack of Mrs. Asabe Asmau Ahmed.

Ministry of Education

In the Ministry of Education, Malam Aliyu Nai’ya is overseeing the affairs of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as   most senior director pending the appointment of a new one.

Na’iya took over from the erstwhile executive secretary, Professor Suleiman Bogoro.
Aviation
In the aviation industry, Engr. Emmanuel Onyemaechi Anasi has been manning the affairs of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) since February.

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) is headed by Engr. Fidet Ohiria as acting chief executive since February.

Security, anti-corruption agencies

Even the security and anti-corruption agencies have no substantive leadership. At the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Mustafa Magu was appointed to succeed Ibrahim Lamorde on Wednesday, November 9, 2015. Magu’s appointment is yet to be confirmed though a letter for his confirmation was sent to the Senate for over a month now.

Like the anti-graft agency, the country’s intelligence gathering outfit, the State Security Service (SSS) has no substantive leadership.

Lawal Musa Daura was appointed the acting Director General of the SSS following Ita Ekpeyong’s removal on July 2, 2015.

Also, the country’s police chief is in acting capacity. The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Ibrahim Kpotun Idris was appointed as the acting Inspector-General of Police by President Buhari last month.

Dozen Others

Dr. Vincent Onome Akpotaire has been the acting Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) since February 16, 2016. Until his appointment he was the director of National Facilities and Agricultural Resources (NF& AR) at the BPE.

In the Ministry of Labour, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is being run by Mr. Kunle Obayan since December 1, 2015 as acting director general.

The Michael  Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) is equally manned by Mr Ishaq as Director General.

Mr Ismail Mohammed Agaka is the acting managing director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is Engr. Peter Odeh Ibu. He has been acting since September, 2015.
Alhaji Abdulrazak Dangiri is the acting Executive Director of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). He has been operating in an acting capacity since the removal of Beatrice Jedy Agba.

Also, the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) is headed by Malam Sadeeq Omar who took over when Mr Abdulmalik Dauda passed on recently.

The late Dauda took over as acting Director General from Ms Onyeka Onwenu last February.
In agric ministry, the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation is headed by Bashiru Haliru Binji who is on acting capacity.

At the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) the board’s tenure expired late last year and no new one has been appointed.

Professor Chidi Odinkalu’s tenure as chairman of the NHRC expired last year and no replacement has yet been made.

Dr. Samuel Agboire is the acting director, National Cereal Research Institute, Badegi, Niger State.

Engineer Kasali is manning the affairs of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, Ilorin, Kwara State in acting capacity.

The National Agency for Food & Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is still manned by an acting director general, Yetunde Oni.