The Presidency has reacted to the outrage and condemnation from Nigerians for the inclusion of 6 dead individuals as appointees to the boards of several parastatals.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday released the list of board members which included 6 deceased individuals: They include: Francis Okpozo, Donald Ugbaja, Garba Attahiru , Umar Dange Sokoto, Magdalene Kumu and Christopher Utov.
The list also included the appointment other members who were either in opposition parties or alleged to be facing corruption related offences.
What led to the error ?
Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the President on media and publicity Garba Shehu, while responding to inquiries from Premium Times, revealed what led to the error.
According to him, the list had being prepared for some time, however the President’s trip for medical attention delayed the completion. President Buhari was ill in the first half of this year and had to be flown abroad for treatment at several times during the year.
He also added that the list was compiled in 2015 by the National Secretariat of the All Peoples Congress (APC) but was also initially delayed by queries from the governors who were not involved in the process of nomination. A committee set up to address the complaints was unable to conclude its mandate, due to the absence of the President .
“The president’s trips for medical attention slowed down completion of the process,” he said, until when Mr Buhari decided to revisit the matter recently.
“The current SGF was only directed to complete that process by releasing the list which he apparently did without altering it,”
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha was instructed to publish the list without altering it. Shehu however promised, that the errors would be addressed
Unanswered questions
While Shehu stated that the list was unaltered, the presence of Herman Hembe’s name in the list, casts doubts on the veracity of his explanation. Hembe was a member of the House of Representatives in 2015. How then did his name turn up on the list? Have the concerns of the governors been addressed ?
Will the entire list be reviewed ?
Shehu did not elucidate on if the entire list will be reviewed or just affected agencies. The process of replacing the dead nominees may not be smooth sailing. Approaching elections mean the Presidency will be under pressure to fill them with political heavyweights who will be needed to mobilize support.
Several analysts have also expressed concern with the absence of nominees for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the nomination of Kabiru Nakaura as the Chairman Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. Nakaura is the chairman, board of trustees Buhari Campaign Organization.
For an administration known for its snail pace in making decisions, continued delay for the affected agencies means vital decisions will be left on hold.
