Adebiyi Adedapo writes on the sack of the heads of 26 federal government parastatals and agencies
Monday, February 15 recorded a landmark event in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. That was the day the government terminated the appointments of heads of many government agencies hitherto inherited from the immediate past government of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The move, which generated mixed reactions from various quarters, is seen by many as an attempt to inject fresh competencies into governance.
Information Ministry
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, fired the opening salvo in the early hours of the day in what proved to be a holistic battle against the old brigade. He convened a meeting with heads of the federal government-owned media organisations, where he announced the termination of their appiintments. Those affected were Mr. Sola Omole of the Nigerian Television Authority, Mr. Sam Worlu of Voice of Nigeria, Salihu Ladan of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Ima Niboro, Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Mr. Emeka Mba, and Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri.
The fired directors-general had all resumed duty and attended the meeting as heads of their various agencies. But they came out of the meeting relieved of their appointments, as the minister directed them to handover the leadership of their respective organisations to the most senior civil servant in the agencies.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, fired the opening salvo in the early hours of the day in what proved to be a holistic battle against the old brigade. He convened a meeting with heads of the federal government-owned media organisations, where he announced the termination of their appiintments. Those affected were Mr. Sola Omole of the Nigerian Television Authority, Mr. Sam Worlu of Voice of Nigeria, Salihu Ladan of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Ima Niboro, Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Mr. Emeka Mba, and Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri.
The fired directors-general had all resumed duty and attended the meeting as heads of their various agencies. But they came out of the meeting relieved of their appointments, as the minister directed them to handover the leadership of their respective organisations to the most senior civil servant in the agencies.
Mass Sack
Shortly after Muhammed’s shocker, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, in a statement, announced that the president had approved the immediate disengagement of 24 other chief executive officers of parastatals, agencies and commissions of the federal government. Those affected include Petroleum Technology Development Fund, New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
Others are Tertiary Education Trust Fund, National Information Technology Development Agency, Petroleum Equalisation Fund, Nigeria Railways Corporation, Bureau of Public Procurements, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, and Nigeria Investment Promotion Council.
Also listed are Bank of Industry, National Centre for Women Development, Industrial Training Fund, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, and National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters.
Shortly after Muhammed’s shocker, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, in a statement, announced that the president had approved the immediate disengagement of 24 other chief executive officers of parastatals, agencies and commissions of the federal government. Those affected include Petroleum Technology Development Fund, New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
Others are Tertiary Education Trust Fund, National Information Technology Development Agency, Petroleum Equalisation Fund, Nigeria Railways Corporation, Bureau of Public Procurements, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, and Nigeria Investment Promotion Council.
Also listed are Bank of Industry, National Centre for Women Development, Industrial Training Fund, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, and National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters.
Perspectives
While some believe that the president should have allowed the heads of the organisations to complete their tenures, others are of the opinion that termination of their appointments was long overdue, as they would expectedly be loyal to the former administration of the Peoples Democratic Party that appointed them.
Yet, some felt that the ruling All Progressives Congress foot soldiers that worked for the party’s electoral success, but were not lucky enough to secure elective positions, needed to be compensated. Supporters of APC had at different times complained to the president about allowing sympathisers of the PDP to hold sway in the new government. The APC supporters argued that the PDP-appointed heads of government agencies used government funds and political machineries at their disposal to campaign against Buhari during the 2015 electioneering process.
A chieftain of the APC in Kaduna State, Yusuf Ali, had in a letter addressed to Buhari last November noted that sympathisers of the new opposition party, PDP, who headed various extra-ministerial agencies, could cash in on any available opportunity to sabotage the APC government and further their political ambitions and deny Nigerians the benefits of the APC change agenda.
Ali stated in the petition to Buhari, “It is not a hidden fact that these CEOs, who were appointed by the previous administration, openly used state resources and machinery of government at their disposal to campaign against your aspiration and the APC in the course of the electioneering. Some of them even went to the extent of maligning your person and dragging your name and hard-won reputation in the mud in order to further the political aspiration of their benefactor and the PDP. The change you promised Nigerians during your campaigns has to be total and holistic, if not, the opposition will cash in on any available opportunity to sabotage your government and further their political ambitions thereby denying Nigerians the benefits of change.”
National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun also expressed a similar feeling. He told State House correspondents recently that those appointed to head agencies of government during the Jonathan administration sabotaged the efforts of APC in delivering good governance to Nigerians. The APC chairman denied that the appointees were sacked to create a vacuum in government to be filled by APC members and supporters.
Odigie-Oyegun stated, “APC members were not concerned about the positions. We are concerned about the internal sabotage that is going on in a lot of the PDP-filled positions, which are critical to our national growth and development. It is happening in INEC, it is happening in a lot of other institutions and that is what the concern of the party is, not necessarily taking over.
“We should take over and there should be people who believe in the change agenda, we have no apologies for that at all.”
However, beyond political considerations, the move to overhaul government agencies is seen by many as an attempt to sanitise the system. While some of the agencies had performed creditably and enjoyed relative peace during the tenure of their immediate past directors-general, some had their tenures bedeviled with controversies ranging from financial corruption to double standard and using their influence to grant undue advantages.
Be that as it may, the fresh hands that would be injected into governance when the vacant positions are filled would be discharging their duties with the consciousness of the anti-corruption disposition of the government and the excellence expected from the change mantra.
While some believe that the president should have allowed the heads of the organisations to complete their tenures, others are of the opinion that termination of their appointments was long overdue, as they would expectedly be loyal to the former administration of the Peoples Democratic Party that appointed them.
Yet, some felt that the ruling All Progressives Congress foot soldiers that worked for the party’s electoral success, but were not lucky enough to secure elective positions, needed to be compensated. Supporters of APC had at different times complained to the president about allowing sympathisers of the PDP to hold sway in the new government. The APC supporters argued that the PDP-appointed heads of government agencies used government funds and political machineries at their disposal to campaign against Buhari during the 2015 electioneering process.
A chieftain of the APC in Kaduna State, Yusuf Ali, had in a letter addressed to Buhari last November noted that sympathisers of the new opposition party, PDP, who headed various extra-ministerial agencies, could cash in on any available opportunity to sabotage the APC government and further their political ambitions and deny Nigerians the benefits of the APC change agenda.
Ali stated in the petition to Buhari, “It is not a hidden fact that these CEOs, who were appointed by the previous administration, openly used state resources and machinery of government at their disposal to campaign against your aspiration and the APC in the course of the electioneering. Some of them even went to the extent of maligning your person and dragging your name and hard-won reputation in the mud in order to further the political aspiration of their benefactor and the PDP. The change you promised Nigerians during your campaigns has to be total and holistic, if not, the opposition will cash in on any available opportunity to sabotage your government and further their political ambitions thereby denying Nigerians the benefits of change.”
National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun also expressed a similar feeling. He told State House correspondents recently that those appointed to head agencies of government during the Jonathan administration sabotaged the efforts of APC in delivering good governance to Nigerians. The APC chairman denied that the appointees were sacked to create a vacuum in government to be filled by APC members and supporters.
Odigie-Oyegun stated, “APC members were not concerned about the positions. We are concerned about the internal sabotage that is going on in a lot of the PDP-filled positions, which are critical to our national growth and development. It is happening in INEC, it is happening in a lot of other institutions and that is what the concern of the party is, not necessarily taking over.
“We should take over and there should be people who believe in the change agenda, we have no apologies for that at all.”
However, beyond political considerations, the move to overhaul government agencies is seen by many as an attempt to sanitise the system. While some of the agencies had performed creditably and enjoyed relative peace during the tenure of their immediate past directors-general, some had their tenures bedeviled with controversies ranging from financial corruption to double standard and using their influence to grant undue advantages.
Be that as it may, the fresh hands that would be injected into governance when the vacant positions are filled would be discharging their duties with the consciousness of the anti-corruption disposition of the government and the excellence expected from the change mantra.
Information Agencies
The informational management organs of government are critical in the dissemination of the administration’s agenda, formation of opinion about the government, and gauging of the national mood. Many believe the organisations fared largely well during the tenures of their immediate past helmsmen, but a lot still needs to be done.
The informational management organs of government are critical in the dissemination of the administration’s agenda, formation of opinion about the government, and gauging of the national mood. Many believe the organisations fared largely well during the tenures of their immediate past helmsmen, but a lot still needs to be done.
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