President Muhammadu Buhari has finally bowed to party pressure by making a wholesale clear-out of appointees of the past government. Moments after sacking the heads of 24 agencies and parastatals, the President Monday approved the appointment of Mr. Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi as the new Director-General (Budget), who replaces Mr. Yahaya Gusau in what is believed to be a fallout of the messy controversies surrounding the nation’s proposed 2016 budget now before the National Assembly.
The Presidency statement which announced the appointment of Mr. Abdullahi, said he is a fellow of the Certified National Accountants of Nigeria, and a banker of repute with experience in managing public finance.
“The new Director-General (Budget) is expected to work with the Minister of Budget and National Planning to efficiently deliver on the mandates of the Budget Office of the Federation,” the statement by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President, (Media & Publicity), said.
The statement also said President Buhari approved the appointment of Mr. Ben Ifeanyi Akabueze as the Special Adviser on Planning to the Minister of Budget and National Planning.
Mr. Akabueze, who is the immediate past Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in Lagos State, has worked in senior management positions in Citi Bank, Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa, NAL Merchant Bank, Sterling Bank and BIA Consulting Limited, among others.
He is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers; Fellow, Institute of Credit Administrators and Honorary Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers.
Earlier, the Presidency announced the removal of Directors-General/Chief Executive Officers of 24 agencies and parastatals. This came after the heads of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Voice of Nigeria, VON, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN and the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, were unceremoniously sacked.
The dismissal of the executives was contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, which listed other heads of parastatals affected to include: Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF; New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD; Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF; Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB; Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN. The heads of the following agencies and parastatals were also relieved of their duties.
Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund
National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA
Petroleum Equalization Fund
Nigeria Railways Corporation, NRC
Bureau of Public Procurements, BPP
Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE
Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA
Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON
National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC
Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, NIPC
Bank of Industry, BoI
National Centre for Women Development, NCWD
National Orientation Agency, NOA
Industrial Training Fund, ITF
Nigerian Export-Import Bank
National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic In Persons and Other Related Matters, NAPTIP
