The Buhari administration has compiled the list of appointments made at the tail of Goodluck Jonathan administration, especially between 1 April and 28 May.
Among the appointments were those of the acting Inspector-General of police , Solomon Arase, who was appointed on 21 April, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission , Peter Obi and chairman of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), Abdullahi Mukhtar Mohammed.
It was not clear what the Buhari presidency intends to do yet, whether it would sack all the appointees, as a government circular deemed the appointments not in compliance with government rules and also not based on merit.
An eight-man committee has however been reviewing the list, with a view to reconstituting the Federal Government Boards of Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions. The committee headed by the SGF also has Alhaji Mai Mala Buni (North-East), Alhaji Zakari Idde (North-Central), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir (North-West), Chief Hillard Etagbo Eta (South-South), Chief Pius Akinyelure (South-West), Chief Emmanuel Eneukwa (South-East) as members while Mr. Gideon Sammani is the Secretary.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal, had in circular on September 18, 2015, asked all permanent secretaries to submit the list of all appointments made into all Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, Commissions or Extra-Ministerial Offices under the supervision of their respective Ministries from April 1, to May 28, 2015.
They were further directed to ensure that the list gets to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) not later than 30th September, 2015. “It is in view of the foregoing that, Mr. President directed that all appointments made into executive and non-executive positions (including renewal of tenure) in all Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions between the period 1st April, 2015 to 28th May, 2015 should be reviewed,” it said.
Former President Jonathan made a number of appointments after losing a re-election bid on 28 March. Among those appointed was his former Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development Mrs Asabe Asmau Ahmed. She was appointed Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), replacing Mrs. Sharon Adefunke Kasali who was sacked.
Mr. Denzil Amagbe Kentebe was appointed to replace Engineer Ernest Nwapa as Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Management Development Board (NCDMB).
Mallam Habib Abdullahi was also made to give way for Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero, who replaced him as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). President Buhari however reversed Abdullahi’s sack in August by removing Bayero.
Jonathan also appointed Mr. Olufemi A. Akingbade as Acting Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), after removing Dr Femi Thomas. At the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs. Uju Aisha Hassan-Baba was appointed as Executive Secretary after Mrs Saratu Altine Umar was relieved of her appointment. Jonathan also appointed Mr Bassey Okon Akpanyung as the secretary to the National Planning Commission (NPC).
Before leaving office on May 29, Jonathan had appointed traditional rulers as chancellors for all the 38 federal universities in the country, named former Governor of Ogun State Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Ex-minister of State for Defence, Chief Olusola Obada, retired Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiya among chairmen of governing councils of some federal universities.
Few hours before they were to leave office, Alhaji Haruna Sambo and Mr. Babatunde Igun were appointed as executive directors for the Bank of Agriculture. Their appointments were approved on May 28th, but the letters were dated May 27, 2015.
