Presidency apologises for errors in board members list

The Buhari presidency has acknowledged and apologised for the
errors made in listing late Senator Francis Okpozu and two others
among chairmen and members of boards of government agencies and
parastatals.

The President’s spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu admitted the errors
and said “no human undertaking can be free of mistakes”.

He said the errors identified with the list were not enough to
describe the exercise as scandalous, insisting that “there is no
scandal”.

The President’s spokesman explained that the names of dead
appointees in the list came about because the list had been
compiled by the former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal.

Garba Shehu said “the list has a history” which explained the
controversy around it.

He said, “In 2015, Mr. President requested all state chapters of
the party to submit names of 50 party members for board
appointments,” Shehu said.

He said the names where compiled by the national secretariat of
the APC and forwarded to the then secretary to the government of
the federation, Babachir Lawal.

“However, complaint arose from some governors who felt they were
not carried along in the process. To answer this, the president
constituted a committee under the vice president to review and
reflect the interest of the governors”.

Shehu said action was delayed on the report of the committee
headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as President Muhammadu
Buhari took ill.

“The president’s trips for medical attention slowed down
completion of the process.

“The current SGF was only directed to complete that process by
releasing the list which he apparently did without altering it,”
Mallam Shehu explained.

Three names of dead persons were contained in the list. Among
them was Senator Francis Okpozo. He was appointed chairman of the
Nigerian Press Council.

Okpozo, a Second Republic Senator from Delta state died in
December 2016 at the age of 81. President Muhammadu Buhari sent a
letter of condolence to the family and eulogised him for
championing social justice in the Niger Delta, during his long
history of service to the people.

Chief Donald Ugbaja, appointed a member of the Consumer
Protection Council (CPC), died on the 29th of November, 2017.

Reverend Christopher Utov who was appointed member of the
Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, died in March
of 2017.

President Muhammadu Buhari had set up in October 2015 a
Presidential Committee headed by the former SGF, Babachir Lawal to
recommend people to be appointed to government boards and agencies.
Members of the board were drawn from the six geo-political Zones of
the Federation.

The members were Alhaji Mai Mala Buni (northeast), Alhaji Zakari
Ede (northcentral), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir (northwest), Chief
Hillard Etagbo Eta (south-south), Chief Pius Akinyelure
(southwest), Chief Emmanuel Eneukwe (southeast) and Mr. Gideon
Sammani, a senior special assistant to the president as
secretary

In November 2016, President Buhari removed Babachir from
headship of the committee, following some allegations made against
Babachir.

Vice President Osinbajo was asked to take over. The chairman of
the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA) Muhammad
Mustapha Abdallah was also appointed to head the secretariat of the
committee.

Part of Osinbajo’s mandate was to meet all the stakeholders,
including the Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of
Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Nigeria Governors Forum
(NGF) Chairman Abdulaziz Yari, APC Governors Forum Chairman Rochas
Okorocha and representatives of the governors in each of the six
geopolitical zones.

NAN

The Buhari presidency has acknowledged and apologised for the
errors made in listing late Senator Francis Okpozu and two others
among chairmen and members of boards of government agencies and
parastatals.

The President’s spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu admitted the errors
and said “no human undertaking can be free of mistakes”.

He said the errors identified with the list were not enough to
describe the exercise as scandalous, insisting that “there is no
scandal”.

The President’s spokesman explained that the names of dead
appointees in the list came about because the list had been
compiled by the former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal.

Garba Shehu said “the list has a history” which explained the
controversy around it.

He said, “In 2015, Mr. President requested all state chapters of
the party to submit names of 50 party members for board
appointments,” Shehu said.

He said the names where compiled by the national secretariat of
the APC and forwarded to the then secretary to the government of
the federation, Babachir Lawal.

“However, complaint arose from some governors who felt they were
not carried along in the process. To answer this, the president
constituted a committee under the vice president to review and
reflect the interest of the governors”.

Shehu said action was delayed on the report of the committee
headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as President Muhammadu
Buhari took ill.

“The president’s trips for medical attention slowed down
completion of the process.

“The current SGF was only directed to complete that process by
releasing the list which he apparently did without altering it,”
Mallam Shehu explained.

Three names of dead persons were contained in the list. Among
them was Senator Francis Okpozo. He was appointed chairman of the
Nigerian Press Council.

Okpozo, a Second Republic Senator from Delta state died in
December 2016 at the age of 81. President Muhammadu Buhari sent a
letter of condolence to the family and eulogised him for
championing social justice in the Niger Delta, during his long
history of service to the people.

Chief Donald Ugbaja, appointed a member of the Consumer
Protection Council (CPC), died on the 29th of November, 2017.

Reverend Christopher Utov who was appointed member of the
Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, died in March
of 2017.

President Muhammadu Buhari had set up in October 2015 a
Presidential Committee headed by the former SGF, Babachir Lawal to
recommend people to be appointed to government boards and agencies.
Members of the board were drawn from the six geo-political Zones of
the Federation.

The members were Alhaji Mai Mala Buni (northeast), Alhaji Zakari
Ede (northcentral), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir (northwest), Chief
Hillard Etagbo Eta (south-south), Chief Pius Akinyelure
(southwest), Chief Emmanuel Eneukwe (southeast) and Mr. Gideon
Sammani, a senior special assistant to the president as
secretary

In November 2016, President Buhari removed Babachir from
headship of the committee, following some allegations made against
Babachir.

Vice President Osinbajo was asked to take over. The chairman of
the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA) Muhammad
Mustapha Abdallah was also appointed to head the secretariat of the
committee.

Part of Osinbajo’s mandate was to meet all the stakeholders,
including the Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of
Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Nigeria Governors Forum
(NGF) Chairman Abdulaziz Yari, APC Governors Forum Chairman Rochas
Okorocha and representatives of the governors in each of the six
geopolitical zones.

NAN