 |
President
Muhammdu Buhari and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the FEC meeting on the 22nd
of March 2017. Photo Credit: Novo Isioro
|
President Muhammadu
Buhari has made the largest set of appointments since assuming office.
PREMIUM
TIMES report continues:
The
president appointed 209 board chairmen and 1,258 board members on Friday,
according to a statement from the office of the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation.
See
the full SGF statement and list of appointees below.
FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT APPOINTS GOVERNING BOARDS FOR PARASTATALS AND AGENCIES
The
President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the constitution
of the Governing Boards of Agencies and Parastatals, under some Ministries, as
well as the appointment of eminently qualified Nigerians to fill the Board
positions, numbering 209 Chairmen and 1258 members.
2.
Mr. President considered the approval for the constitution of the Boards as
well as the appointments, very necessary, so as to provide a proper Governance
and oversight structure for Government Agencies and Parastatals. The
constitution of the boards with the appointments, is a demonstration of this
Government’s efforts aimed at building strong institutions of Governance, and
by extension, improving the quality of Policy formulation and supervision.
3.
While these appointments represent a substantial number of hitherto pending
board appointments, some more appointments are still being processed and will be
released in due course.
4.
The appointments take immediate effect and Honourable Ministers are advised to
inaugurate the boards after letters of appointment have been issued.
Outrage Over Six
Dead Appointees On Buhari’s Board List
The
Punch reports that there was outrage on Saturday over President Muhammadu
Buhari’s appointment of dead people into boards of Federal Government agencies.
Prominent
lawyers and civil society groups, in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH,
said the inclusion of dead people on the list of appointees was a demonstration
of incompetence by the Buhari administration.
They
noted that the appointments, which were made two and half years after Buhari’s
assumption of office, should have been done without errors.
Some
of the dead persons on the list released included late Senator Francis Okpozo,
who died in December 2016 but was named the chairman of the board of the
Nigerian Press Council.
Another
was Donald Ugbaja, the late Deputy Inspector General of Police who died in
November but listed was as one of the members of the Consumer Protection
Council.
Also
on the list was the late founder of Fidei Polytechnic, Rev. Christopher Utov,
who died in March but was listed as a board member of the Nigeria Institute of
Social and Economic Research.
Included
on the list was the late Alhaji Umar Dange, an APC leader in Sokoto State, who
was appointed as a board member of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta.
Similarly,
Kabir Umar, a former Emir of Katagum in Bauchi State, who died on December 9,
was on the board of the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, Bauchi.
According
to TheCable, another appointee, Ahmed Bunza, died at Usman Danfodio University
Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, and was buried May 22.
Bunza
was reported to be a staunch supporter of the APC. He served as the sole
administrator of Jega Local Government Area of Kebbi state.
This
govt is confused —CD
The
President, Campaign for Democracy, Usman Abdul, said, “This tells you how
confused the leadership of Nigeria is. First, you will realise that coming up
with a list of such significance requires careful scrutiny.
“The
release of the faulty list shows that neither the President nor his aides has
the memory of the people they are ruling at heart, otherwise, they would have
spotted the errors.”
Also,
the CDHR President, Malachy Ugwummadu, described the development as “quite
unfortunate.”
Ugwummadu
said, “It is a sad commentary. In a country where we have surplus disciplined
and credible people for appointments, it shows that background checks were not
done before the list was released.
“There
should be a rigorous investigation as to how such names found their way into
the appointments.”
Presidency
not serious— Ali
Also,
a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, said the shocking discovery showed
that the Federal Government was not diligent in its responsibilities.
He
said, “The constitution of the boards has been long overdue. This government
came to power about two and a half years ago. The discovery shows that the list
was compiled a long time ago and due diligence was not done before it was
released.
On
his part, the Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Monday
Ubani, described the appointment of dead persons into the Federal Government
boards as unfortunate.
He
said, “It is unfortunate that the President delayed in doing most of the things
he was supposed to do; and those things have come to haunt him.
“It
is obvious that the dead people were appointed after they died. It does not
speak well of any serious government that dead people are appointed into public
offices.
“Had
it been that they were appointed as of the time their names were submitted,
this embarrassment would not have happened.”
Shehu
Sani, Junaid Mohammed knock Buhari
The
lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani,
and a delegate to the 2014 National Conference, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, have
described the controversial list as belated.
Sani,
in his tweets on Saturday, said Buhari should have posthumously honoured those
who were deceased on the list instead of giving them appointments after their
death.
Mohammed
on his part said, “The list confirms a trend that has been the hallmark of this
government since it took power in 2015. It shows how unprepared the President
and the cabal in the Presidency are for the serious work of governance.”
Buhari
condoled with Okpozo’s family –Afenifere
Also,
the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, criticised the Federal Government, describing
the blunder as an untidy approach to governance.
The
spokesman for the group, Yinka Odumakin, said some officials should be
sanctioned for the embarrassment.
He
added, “To have one dead person on the appointment list is scandalous, but to
have many shows lack of thoroughness, no attention to detail. And, if this is
the way our lives are being run, it is very shameful that the government at the
highest level cannot sort the living from the dead.”
Presidency
dismisses criticisms, says nothing scandalous
But
the Presidency said there was nothing “scandalous” or “extraordinary” in the
inclusion of the names of some dead persons in the list of appointments into
the boards.
It
said the list was prepared over two years ago and nobody could stop some of
those included on the list from dying between then and now.
The
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu,
stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
According
to Shehu, the process of compiling the list started in 2015, while a reviewed
list was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 shortly before his
health challenges.
The
presidential spokesman said, having recovered fully, Buhari only instructed the
new SGF, Boss Mustapha, to release the list.
He
assured Nigerians that the nominees who are dead would be replaced.
Shehu
explained, “This is a historical list. It dates back to 2015. The President
asked all state chapters of the APC to forward 50 names for appointments to the
SGF through the national headquarters of the party.
“The
then SGF, Babachir Lawal, presented the report in October 2016, one year after
he was commissioned.
“The
report was disputed by state governors, who said they were not carried along or
the list was not representative enough.
“So,
the President constituted a new panel chaired by the Vice President. The panel
has some governors and some leaders of the party as members. They were asked to
go and review the list.
“The
panel did its work and turned in its report early in 2017. The President had
his health challenges during that period.
“Now
that he is back and strong, he asked the SGF to go and release the list. So,
the new SGF did what he was asked to do. There is nothing scandalous or
extraordinary about what has happened.
“If
a list was compiled over about two years ago, obviously some people would have
died. Nobody can stop that from happening.
“Whoever
is dead will be replaced. There is nothing extraordinary about it.”
APC,
PDP clash over controversial list
The
Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday described as an unpardonable national
embarrassment, the appointment of deceased persons into the various boards of
federal agencies by the Federal Government.
National
Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbodiyan, said in a statement that
the development had further confirmed the PDP’s position that the APC
“administration is completely confused, disorganized and grossly incompetent.”
He
added that the development exposed Nigerians to the level of recklessness and
shoddiness inherent in the management of the nation under the APC.
Ologbodiyan
noted that the situation also revealed why the nation’s economy is in a
shambles under the APC.
He
wondered how a government which could not tidy up a routine issue like board
appointments for over two years, could successfully handle the complex issues
of governance.
“Nigerians
can now see why the nation’s economy has been in a shambles in the last two
years. When we say that this government is completely inept, some Nigerians did
not know to which level, but now they do,” he added.
Ologbodiyan
asked Nigerians to disregard what he described as lame excuses by the APC government,
urging Nigerians to hold them responsible for the woes that have befallen the
country under President Muhammad Buhari.
But
the APC described the PDP as sore losers for “making a fuss over the
secretarial error which led to the inclusion of deceased persons’ names on the
list of board appointments.”
The
party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “It is pathetic
that the PDP has yet to overcome its loss of the 2015 elections. They should
get used to the fact that we are in government and in power. It is becoming
laughable that even if a NIPOST member of staff fails to deliver a letter they
claim it is evidence of APC’s unpreparedness. How can they say a secretarial
error involving five names out of over 300 is a sign of failure? This
administration is focused and will not be distracted.”
Family
members, Nigerians express shock
Anna,
the wife of the late Chief Francis Okpozo said she received the news of the
appointment of her deceased husband by President Muhammadu Buhari with surprise.
The
widow, however, told SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday that she did not take
offence at the development.
The
late Okpozo, a former senator in the Second Republic, who died on December 26,
2016, made the list released by the Presidency alongside his son, Harrison.
Mrs.
Okposo described her late husband as one of the founders of the All
Progressives Congress, and a close friend of the President.
She
said, “Although the news of my late husband’s appointment raised some concerns,
I will not take it in bad faith.
“If
he was aware that his (late Okpozo) name was on the list, he (Buhari) would
have corrected it.”
“I
am not taking offence at all because, as a President, he cannot know everything
about everybody in the whole country. Maybe he had delegated the selection to
some people to do and they did not consult but just published it (list).
“I
cannot cry over spilt milk. He is gone; the living can forge ahead. But I
commend him for remembering my son.”
Meanwhile,
Harrison, the second son of the late Okpozo, has described the ‘posthumous
appointment’ of his father by Buhari as an honour of the Second Republic senator.
Harrison,
who was appointed as a board member, National Commission for Museums and
Monuments, said it was regrettable that his father never lived to witness his
appointment.
Also
on Saturday, Bunde Upurugh, a nephew to the late Catholic priest, Rev. Fr.
Chris Utov, whose name made the list, described the appointment as a belated
honour.
He
further said the Federal Government recognised the contributions of the late
Rev. Utov to the development of the nation.
He
said, “The sad thing is that the appointment came many months after he died.
Why did it take the Federal Government over two years to appoint board
members?”
Upurugh
is the Dean, Student Affairs of the Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko, which was
established by the deceased.
In
Sokoto, Alhaji Hassan Umar, a relation to the late Alhaji Umar Dange,
told SUNDAY PUNCH that the publication of his deceased brother’s name
on the list was a great embarrassment.
He
said, “Dange died early this year. He was a great politician and I am not aware
that he was ever given any appointment in his lifetime.
“This is a clear demonstration that President Buhari is not in control of his administration.
No comments:
Post a Comment