With the dissolution of governing boards of over 153 agencies, parastatals and government-owned companies, experts say it is imperative for President Bola Tinubu to allow competence in the appointments of board members. TOBA AGBOOLA reports.
With the dissolution of governing boards of over 153 agencies, parastatals, institutions and government-owned companies by President Bola Tinubu, about 1,500 vacancies are opened across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The dissolved boards were among the 209 constituted by former President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2017.
Data from the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies shows that the country has over 719 federal agencies alone.
In a statement, the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, had said only boards of commissions and councils listed in the third schedule, Part one Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution were excluded from the president’s directive.
The Nigeria Judicial Council, Code of Conduct Bureau, Council of State, Federal Character Commission; Federal Civil Service Commission; Independent National Electoral Commission, National Population Commission, Police Service Commission, and Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission were part of the agencies that were excluded.
Tinubu, at a meeting with Senators on June 7, had indicated that those who lost elections and other members of the party would not be left out in appointments.
He said: “The elephant is big enough for all members, and indeed Nigerians, to have a share of the renewed hope in due course.”
However, experts, who listed the attributes of successful board membership, stated that political patronage should not be considered above competence.
According to them, competence is critical and if Nigeria has not started taking it into consideration, this is the time to do so.
Tinubu, during his electioneering campaign, promised to form a government of national competence.
According to experts, any move to compensate party members with board positions, would not allow the president to fill strategic positions in governments with technocrats, and as such, achieve his policy of boosting governance with the right people.
The experts said this was one opportunity for him to ensure that to the nation has experts on the boards.
Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria, Dele Alimi, said whenever vacancies were opened in government, they considered political patronage, and that’s what they had been doing over the years.
The move, he said, had impacted negatively on the efficiency and effectiveness of public parastatals and agencies. Most times, political patronage was considered above competence and capabilities.
Alimi said when political consideration was being put out, competence, ability and diversity as enshrined in the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance (NCCG) should also be considered. More importantly, it was regulatory agencies of government that put the code there.
He argued that this was the right time for the government to walk the talk.
Another aspect, Alimi mentioned, that had to be taken into consideration is the enabling law establishing some of the agencies.
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He said the pre-NCCG Code pre-Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 for most of the parastatals should be reviewed. According to him, many things have changed in terms of boards’ appointment and leadership with the Code and Act.
“For instance, there is the presence of independent directors on boards, even as the public enterprises are not Plcs. What the regulatory authorities preach, other organisations should try and be able to conform and this is one of the areas the government needs to look at.
“So, if the government needs to go back to the National Assembly and review those laws establishing those agencies to ensure that the boards can be made to be filled with competent people and also meet the requirements of the law, they should do it. Even if it means delaying those appointments a little to ensure Nigeria can conform to the laws establishing those organisations.
“Truth is you cannot 100 per cent avoid political patronage, but let’s assume that within them, there may be experts in various areas. However, my take is political patronage should not be considered above competence. Competence is critical and if we have not started before, this is the time to start,” Alimi said.
The Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, agreed that for the boards to meet their objectives, their composition needs to reflect merit, competence, innovation, character and deep knowledge of the sector in which they operate.
Onyekpere said the composition of such boards could not be a ‘job for the boys’, if public corporations were to deliver on their mandates.
“There should be a public notice of the intention to appoint persons to the boards. The names of prospective appointees should be published so that anyone that has information on the unsuitability of nominees for public office will be requested to submit the same to a committee of persons of impeccable character and integrity who will review the petitions and make recommendations to Mr. President.
“The Federal Government should set deliverables with milestones and targets and a verifying monitoring and evaluation plan for the boards. Their performances should also be reviewed annually to ensure that their leadership is on target while dead woods are weeded out,” Onyekpere said.
A group, the Pan-African Economic and Financial Security Initiative, urged Tinubu to completely overhaul government agencies and parastatals, calling for the sack of the managing directors and chief executive officers of the dissolved boards. It alleged that the continued stay of such officers had led to looting of public funds and crippling of government agencies across the country.
According to the group, though Nigerians welcomed the dissolution of the boards of MDAs, they, however, doubted the intention of Tinubu in removing governing boards’ members that provided checks and balance while leaving managing directors and chief executive officers with powers that have turned them into turn dictators to do whatever they wanted, with no accountability.
The National Coordinator of the Group, Samuel Chukwu, in a statement, at a briefing in Abuja, urged Tinubu to immediately sack some of the CEOs to allow the most qualified civil service director to take over the agencies until the President constitute a board that will deliver his mandates.
A Human Resource (HR) expert, ‘Tunde Olagunju, said meritocracy should come first in defining the country’s role and not be based on ethnic or loyalty.
Olagunju, who is also the Head, Human Resources and Administration, Kenna Partners, said when meritocracy is established from accountability and trust in those that have worked with the president on what they can do, that could then be an advantage.
He recalled that during Tinubu’s administration as governor, he was able to connect with technocrats.
Similarly, the Director-General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Wale Oyerinde, said Nigerians expected Tinubu to appoint competent hands in the various boards.
“While we know that a lot of people contributed to the president’s election, competence and a track record of achievements in the private or public sector, should come first, irrespective of where the person comes from.
“What we expect is that competent people should be appointed into those boards; that is the expectation of Nigerians and we believe that the president will do the needful. We expect round pegs should be put in round holes, individuals with a track record of success or achievement. They should be appointed as ministers too, among others,” he suggested.
Founder, Leap Africa, Ndidi Nwuneli said to become a board member, directors must possess the qualities of being strategic, having oversight and must be able to carry out effective service delivery.
She said being strategic involves setting the organisation’s purpose, values, objectives and direction.
She said the director must manage top appointments strategy and policy formulation, as well as shape culture and uphold values.
Nwuneli, who is also the co-founder of Sahel Consulting Agriculture Limited, said directors must ensure effective execution, ensure cost-effective management of corporate resources, and oversee financial management of the organisations, as well as self-evaluation and others.
For effective service, she said directors must advise management, report to stakeholders and represent the organisations externally.
Nwuneli added that before deciding to become a board member, directors must ask themselves why they wanted to serve on a board, and the value they want to add.
