President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the directors-general of several government agencies, including the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) a statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation says.
The President also sacked heads of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund, Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC), Bureau of Public Procurements (BPP), Bureau of Public Enterprises
(BPE), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
All those sacked were appointees of the previous administration, politics watchers observed.
Others affected include the heads of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), 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 and National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic In Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).
Some politics watchers said the sacks may have resulted from pressures from members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party for the President to offload appointees of the pevious administration and create space for party loyals.
Others however said such action was not in tune with Buhari’s character and was more likely part of the wind of change blowing and the need to put trusted and tested captains in place to achieve the desired result.
A statement signed Babachir David Lawal, the the Srcretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) announcing the change of guard, said the President “has also approved that the most senior officers in the parastatals, agencies, and councils, oversee the activities of the organisations pending the appointment of substantive Chief Executive Officers”.
Earlier same day, Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, had announced the sack of the directors-general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and News Agency Nigeria, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
(FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Announcing their sack in a statement, Mohammed had directed the disengaged chief executives to hand over to the most senior officials in their establishments.
Meanwhile, the President has approved the appointment of Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a former member of the House of Representatives and an active member of his campaign team , as his Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.
Dabiri-Erewa, who was at the Presidential Villa, yesterday to receive her appointment letter, had served as chairman Committee on Diaspora in the 7th House of Representatives.
Elizabeth Archibong
