The Nation Newspaper

Tag: appointment

  • Ex-Ondo PDP Chairman rejects Mimiko’s appointment

    Ex-Ondo PDP Chairman rejects Mimiko’s appointment

    A former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Mr Ebenezer Alabi has rejected his recent appointment as one of the Senior Special Assistants (SSA) to Governor Oludegun Mimiko.

    There are three new SSA including Alabi, Otito Atikase and Kunle Agunbiade.

    Alabi gallantly steered the ship of the PDP in the state until the uproar that greeted the defection of Mimiko from Labour Party (LP) to PDP.

    He sacrificed his position for the consolidation of members of both the old and new PDP in the state.

    Alabi handed the mantle of leadership to a close associate of the governor, Clement Faboyede, last year.

    Mimiko had during the week announced 42 appointments out of which only seven members of the Old PDP were considered.

    Political observers in the state believed that the appointment belittled Alabi’s status as a former chairman of PDP in the state.

    But Alabi, who was a one-time chairman of Ifedore local government council in a letter he personally signed and dated October 7, 2015, appreciated Mimiko for counting him worthy of the appointment which he said he could not accept due to some personal exigencies.

    Part of the letter reads; “Regrettably Sir, I will not be able to take up the appointment as I have set in motion businesses plan that now demand my attention. Pending the time the set-up stage will be scaled and surmounted, my presence must be sufficient in the day-to-day running of the business. For the above reason, I humbly plead you allow me turn down the offer.

    “I am also working on my professional practice which will commence soon. In a few months time, the office will be opened for business. Which means, in a few months to come, I shall have two businesses that will be competing simultaneously for my attention.

    “Your Excellency, let me assure you of my loyalty and that I shall continue to do my best for the PDP as one of its leaders in the state, thanking you for the honour and sincerely look forward to working with you sometimes very soon.”

    A PDP Chieftain in the state, Mr. Biyi Poroye has applauded Alabi for taking such decision and courage which he said would save him of his political career and benefit him in the nearest future.

    Poroye berated the governor for not taking good care of old PDP members in the state in the appointments.

    He said the appointment of Alabi as SSA to the governor was an embarrassment as it betrayed the agreement the governor had with the old PDP during his defection to the party in Abuja last year.

    According to him, Alabi as a symbol of the party deserves a better appointment to compensate the sacrifices he made during Mimiko’s struggle to take over the leadership of the party after his defection.

    He said; “I want to applaud Alabi for taking such decision and courage to turn down the offer. The appointment was a complete embarrassment. It betrayed the agreement we had with the governor during his struggle to take over the leadership of the party in the state.

    “Alabi as a symbol of the party deserves a better appointment under Mimiko’s government. I will advise the governor to address this injustice in other to save him and the party from further embarrassment.”

  • Group hails PPRO’s appointment

    The Police Assistance Committee (PAC) has commended the emergence of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Olabisi Kolawole as the first female Police Public Relations Officer PPRO at the national level, describing it as a well deserved appointment.

    In a statement issued in Lagos and signed by its Director General, Dr. Martins John Oni, the PAC noted that the appointment of the new PPRO was a manifestation of her enviable track record acquired over the years through her diligent services in the Nigeria Police Force which had seen her occupying very sensitive positions creditably.

    The organization enjoined ACP Kolawole to approach her new job with all sense of decorum and high level of professionalism so as to justify the confidence reposed in her by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.

    While appealing to the new PPRO to be a team player by carrying along all critical stakeholders in the course of her duties, the PAC pledged its readiness to keep working closely with her as it has been doing with all her predecessors over two decades ago, asking her to give an open door to all PAC coordinators and exco – members nationwide.

  • Kebbi appoints new SSG

    Kebbi appoints new SSG

    The Kebbi state government has announced the appointment of its former Head of Civil Service, Alh Babale Yauri as Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

    This is contained in a statement signed by Muazu Dakingari, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Atiku Bagudu and made to available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.

    The statement said that the appointment was with immediate effect.

    Yauri holds a Political Science certificate from the Ahmadu Bello University and a Master’s degree from the Wales University in the U.K.

    He was also a member of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, near Jos.

    Yauri started his career in the old Sokoto state, subsequently rose to the position of Director-General and also Permanent Secretary in different ministries before his appointment as head of service in 2014.

    While congratulating him on his appointment as SSG, Bagudu urged Yauri to be committed and dedicated to his duties by deploying his expertise to the assignment.

    NAN reports that Yauri’s announcement as SSG was the only major appointment made by the state government since it came into existence in May.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai had recently received commendations from notable figures and organisations around the world for the level of professionalism exhibited by troops in the frontline.

  • Why I rejected Fayose’s appointment, by ex-Speaker

    Why I rejected Fayose’s appointment, by ex-Speaker

    •Drama as Ekiti lawmakers amend Assembly commission’s law

    Former factional Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly Dele Olugbemi  has justified the rejection of his appointment by Governor Ayo Fayose as a member of the House of Assembly Service Commission (HASC).

    Olugbemi, who spoke in a telephone chat yesterday night,  said he was embarrassed to hear his name on radio as being nominated as HASC member without his knowledge and consent.

    He accused Fayose of running a “one-man show” and failing to carry the state Peoples Democratic Party along in making critical decisions.

    Olugbemi said: “I’m a member of the appointment committee. I was shocked to hear my name announced on the radio as being appointed as a member of the commission without my knowledge.

    “The governor’s action was against the ethos of democracy and he is simply running a one-man show. Since he came into office, he has been operating without regards to the party.

    “I gave so much to defend his mandate, but he has shown me no respect at all. I was still wondering about the appointment when he sent a message to me that some people were interested in replacing me in case I reject the offer. Since he had decided to preempt my decision, I did not find it difficult to reject the appointment.

    “All I did to defend him during the impeachment plot was to prevent the state from chaos. So, I have no regret.”

    Olugbemi shunned the screening and confirmation of HASC nominees for two days – Tuesday and yesterday – by the state lawmakers.

    The Assembly at yesterday’s sitting screened and ratified the four other nominees.

    HASC members, whose nominations were confirmed, are former Speaker Olatunji Odeyemi (Chairman), Bode Adewole, Mrs. Lanre Fajuyi and Muyiwa Fadahunsi.

    There was also a disquiet at yesterday’s sitting over the manner the lawmakers amended Section 2 (4) of the State House of Assembly Service Commission Law 2003 (as amended).

    Leader of Government Business Olatunji Akinyele (Oye 2) moved the motion for the amendment “to accommodate nominees from the three senatorial districts”.

    The amendment was expected to be assented to by the governor before it takes effect, but it took effect immediately without the governor’s assent.

    The amendment passed the first, second and third reading at the same sitting before being passed, an action which is believed to be “a record” in the history of the Assembly, as it was not subjected to any debate.

    The sitting was comical, as the lawmakers started the session with Yoruba language, switched over to English before they reverted to Yoruba.

    Yoruba is the language for House business on Wednesdays, but some of the lawmaker struggled in conveying their thoughts in the native language.

    Olugbemi played a pivotal role in the crisis that rocked the Fourth Assembly in which seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers “impeached” former Speaker Adewale Omirin and “elected” Olugbemi in his stead.

    He superintended over “screening” and “nomination” of three commissioner nominees and passage of the 2015 Appropriation (Budget) Bill into law alongside his six other PDP colleagues.

    Olugbemi, who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) after Fayose’s inauguration, also played a leading role in ensuring that the Assembly complex was shut to prevent the governor’s impeachment by the 19 opposition legislators.

  • Poly rector hailed on appointment

    Members of the staff of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede (NEKEDE POLY) in Imo State have praised the Rector, Dr Celestina Njoku, on the appointment of Mr. C. Chukwuma, a lecturer in the faculty, as the Deputy Rector for Academics.

    They spoke at a reception organised in honour of Chukwuma at the 5,000-capacity auditorium of the institution.

    The Director, Academic Planning and Quality Assurance Unit (APQU), Dr Obasi Oko, described the appointment as a round peg in a round hole, praising the rector for considering a staff of the faculty for the position.

    Congratulating Chukwuma, Dr. Obasi advised him to remain focused and dedicated to administrative work.

    Responding, the Deputy Rector for Administration, Mr Desmond Oparaku, who spoke on behalf of Dr Njoku, said the management would always reward exceptional members of staff, stressing that the appointment was as a result of Chukwuma’s hard work and dedication to service.

    Chukwuma thanked the rector for finding him worthy of the position, urging for cooperation of staff with the management.

  • NANS hails former leader on appointment

    NANS hails former leader on appointment

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone B has congratulated one of its own, Comrade Jerry Ehiwario, on his appointment as Special Assistant to Delta State Governor on Students’ Affairs.

    NANS felicitated with Ehiwario in a statement issued at the Delta State University (DELSU) in Abraka by its Public Relations Officer, Comrade Pedro Obi.

    Obi described Ehiwario’s appointment as a reward for hard work and loyalty to a worthy cause.

    The statement reads: “To students in Delta State, Jerry Ehiwario is synonymous with hard work. He is a grassroots students’ leader and we in Zone B believe he will definitely bring his wealth of experience to bear as he coordinates the activities of the students’ community in the state to ensure education policies of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa are achieved.”

    Obi said NANS had unshaken belief in Ehiwario’s capacity and ability to deliver on his mandate, pointing out that his appointment was a round peg in a hole.

     

  • Operators lauds Kari’s appointment

    Operators lauds Kari’s appointment

    Operators have lauded the appointment  of Commissioner for Insurance, Mohammed Kari by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The operator’s expectation are high. They are hopeful that the new commissioner will provide regulations that will further drive the growth of the insurance industry.

    Buhari appointed Kari on July 31, this year on the same day former Commissioner, Fola Daniel’s tenure in office ended.

    Daniel held the position for eight years. Director-General, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Kola Ahmed, thanked the president for his quick response in appointing someone as the commissioner.

    For him, it shows that President Buhari’s administration has focused on the industry. He describe Kari’s appointment as the right speg in the round hole and in the right direction.

    He said: “I also see his appointment as a vote of confidence by the government on NAICOM programs. This is why they chose somebody from the Commission.

    “He does not have to reinvent the wheel because he has been part of the existing policies. It is good for the industry too because we don’t have to start understanding the commission all over again. We will cooperate and support him.”

    The CIIN DG further noted that Kari is a strict person and that is the kind of person the industry need. He said that while the former commissioner on his part enforced the Insurance Act 2003 on operators, he believes the new commissioner will continue with a lot of force.

    “He is somebody that will not bend the rules for anybody. He knows the pranks that any underwriter, broker, loss adjuster, agent and any other stakeholder in the industry may want to play. Everybody will just have to do the right thing”, he said.

    Chairman, Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), Godwin Wiggle said the association was willing to work with the new commissioner to make the industry better.

    He said they expect more regulatory reforms to place the industry at par with global best practice. He said the commissioner is a critic and focus person whom they believe will make an impact.

    Managing Director, AIICO Insurance Plc, Edwin Igbiti, said the commissioner’s appointment is a welcome development.

    “Kari is a practitioner who knows the pains of the operators. The fact that the president appointed him shows succession plan in the industry.

    “One thing we have to give to the former commissioner is that he has set the stage on a high level and Kari cannot afford to let down the level at this moment. I believe he will help us obscure the level in terms of the control the industry needs presently,” he added.

  • ‘Nullify INEC chair’s appointment’

    ‘Nullify INEC chair’s appointment’

    Activist-lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa yesterday urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to nullify the appointment of Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari as acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He said the 1999 Constitution did not provide for the position of acting chairman of INEC.

    Besides, he argued that Mrs Zakari’s tenure as a national commissioner ended on Tuesday, therefore her stay in office is illegal having not been re-appointed by the President upon due consultation with the Council of State and confirmation by the Senate.

    The plaintiff asked the court to to declare her appointment as acting chairman of INEC illegal and unconstitutional, and to order her to vacate office immediately.

    Adegboruwa is also praying the court to restrain her from presiding over the conduct of any election in Nigeria, including the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney-General of the Federation, INEC and Mrs Zakari are the respondents.

    No date has been fixed for hearing.

  • Buhari’s directive ‘ignored in appointment of acting AGF’

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that the most Senior Officer be appointed to act as the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF)  following the retirement of the AGF Jonah Otunla, was ignored, it was learnt yesterday.

    Otunla left office a fortnight ago and handed over to Mr. Mohammed Dikwa, who is said to be the second most senior director.

    Omoniyi Fagbemi, the director of Revenue is the most senior director Dikwa is said to be ranked at No 18 in the order of seniority of directors of Finance and Accounts in the Federal Civil Service.

    Dikwa’s appointment is trailed by discontent in the civil service.

    Senior Civil Servants have condemned the decision of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Danladi Kifasi as lacking in due process and against the norm.

    The development is viewed as inimical to seniority, experience and discipline.

    According to a civil service source, who pleaded anonymity, the handling of the screening procedures for the eventual appointment of a substantive AGF has equally heightened suspicions which may question the integrity and veracity of the process.

    She explained that further to a tradition enthroned by Mr Steve Oronsaye to ensure transparency, applicants aspiring to various leadership positions in the civil service including those of Permanent Secretary, Accountant General and Auditor General, among others, are required to write qualifying examinations and undergo further screening.

    “Thirty Directors of Finance and Accounts across the civil service, sat for the most recent qualifying examination but based on performance in the three-stage test, the number should have been whittled down to a more manageable size to enable oral interface, before recommendation for presidential approval.

    “The template which was put in place and followed religiously under former President Olusegun Obasanjo was for the best three candidates, following tests and screening for top-level service positions, to be proposed for eventual ratification at the discretion of the President.

    “This applied to Vice-Chancellors, Chief Medical Directors, Rectors and Provost of federal government-owned tertiary institutions and health facilities, and by extension other service appointments.

    “Without regards for this rule, however, four of the 34 candidates who sat for the AGF qualifying examination were randomly selected for post-screening, in circumstances which were but transparent.

    “These include Director, Finance and Accounts in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Alhaji Idris Mamman and Dikwa.

    “While Mamman came ninth in the examination, Dikwa placed 29. If merit, transparency and due process were followed, both officers will not make the post examination interface,” she said.

    The game plan, according to the source, was aimed at a subtle attempt to narrow the options for eventual presentation for presidential assent, to the Northeast geo-political zone, where Kifasi comes from.

    She said: “Whereas Kifasi is from Taraba State, Mamman and Dikwa are both from Borno in the same Northeast zone.

    “The argument for skipping Fagbemi for Dikwa in the appointment of an acting AGF, is that he comes from the Southwest, as Otunla the former AGF.

    “When did it become a crime for people serving in the same establishment to come from the same zone? If the Office of the Head of Service (OHOSF), is not working towards a premeditated result, why didn’t the office make its shortlist based strictly on the results of the examination conducted specifically for the appointment of a new AGF?

    “The OHOSF has impugned the integrity and fairness of the whole process with the dispassionate manner it has handled it thus far”.

    On the implication of the development which was said to have been the same that threw up Otunla, who had came ninth out of the 10 Directors that took the second round of the examination in January 2011, the source regretted that the due process and anti-corruption stance of this administration would be unfairly impugned.

    She said: “Rumours are rife that the process has been unwittingly compromised and corrupted.

    The source, however, hoped that as an experienced and tested administrator, President Buhari would take more than a passing interest in the process leading to the first substantive appointment which will bear his approval.

     

  • Lesson from Tunji Bello’s appointment as SSG

    SIR: Tunji Bello’s surprise appointment to the lofty office of Secretary to Lagos State Government (SSG) stridently attests to God’s position that a man who is diligent in his ways shall sit with princes and not with mean men.

    The little I heard about his undergraduate years is that he made time, in spite of the huge academic workload at the nation’s premier university to offer active students’ unionism service. With his team they constantly pressured varsity authorities to canvass students’ position for improved welfare and better learning environment…. The wise says when a person selflessly wages a battle for the good of all, God’s attention is drawn to him as a possible candidate for leadership.

    Indeed, of his first few years at work I was a witness. When in the early 1980’s he took up employment at the National Concord, he was constantly coming to work with a fellow-graduate who was yet to get a job. Soon, this friend of his was also taking assignments and turning out brilliant feature-articles like Tunji Bello.

    For the salary of one man the Concord was enjoying the services of two workers. In no time the friend amassed sufficient cognate experience to land a job of his own. That friend has become one of the leading journalists in Nigeria today…. The wise also teaches that those who help others overcome their limitations invariably attract divine help.

    Loyalty is a characteristic by which Tunji Bello can be defined. As the Lord Jesus teaches, you strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. As soon as Bashorun MKO Abiola was denied his mandate in 1993, many workers began to leave the Concord. Many more resigned when the Are-Ona-Kakanfo was incarcerated. And the exiting became a deluge when the greatest philanthropist Nigeria has ever known died in 1998. But Tunji Bello remained persistent in his loyalty to the Concord, coming forth as one of the editors that helped the Concord to survive into the first decade of the 21st century.

    Surely, Tunji Bello’s prime test of loyalty emerged in 2007, when by Governor Tinubu’s exit, ex-Commissioner Tunji Bello was in limbo or in a wilderness of a sort. Those who should know say it was at this point that an invitation came from a Presidential hopeful for Tunji Bello to come establish a newspaper for him. Of course, this invitation should have presaged an abandonment of the Tinubu camp which has today become by far the most formidable political camp in the country. The former editor promptly turned down the offer. But for that loyalty, there wouldn’t have been this glorious celebration of the ascent to the office of SSG, or remaining a key player in the camp.

    The affable and personable personality that he has always been, the young graduate came highly recommended to the Concord. Dr. Doyin Abiola, the Editor-in-Chief was in the know. The Editor, the late Ben Onyeachonam, came with the candidate to my office for my opinion, as he would be working in the department I headed.

    I only remembered the huge burden of academic work I had to shoulder for my B.A and M.A at the university from which he had just graduated. So without looking at his papers or even knowing his name, I simply recommended that he would be vastly learned and suitable. My superiors approved my recommendation and Tunji Bello became a Concordman.

    I have watched the young man of yesteryears become today’s prodigy and giant. He came with a degree in Political Science. Over the years he has added Journalism. And he has also gone ahead to cream his scholarly versatility with a degree in Law.

    But what has amazed me the most in his political ascendancy is how Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his governors have always posted Tunji Bello to man positions unrelated to the Press from whence he hails. Twice he was appointed Commissioner of the Environment. Once he was made head of Lagos Signage department. He was also once appointed Director-General of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s re-election. And, now he is the SSG.

    All thanks to God, all these powerful assignments outside the purview of the Press profession have prophetically confirmed my own humble characterization of today’s grandee, way back in the early 1980’s, as versatile and suitable.

    It should be conceded too that he has become a major credit to the journalism profession. By his excellent performance outside of the Press environment that has seen him climbing from one promotion to another, means a lot. It means that if given the opportunity, the journalist can excel in other fields other than the confinements of the Press Secretary, Assistant on Press and Publicity, Commissioner for Information and Minister of Information.

    Congratulations!

     

    •  Ola Amupitan