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 our reporter, 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,
disorganised 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.”
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 our reporter, 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,
disorganised 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.”
Read more https://nairalaw.com/outrage-over-six-dead-appointees-on-buharis-board-list/