Buhari Dissolves Agencies’ Board

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday dissolved the governing boards of all federal parastatals, agencies and institutions.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the dissolution took effect from Thursday.

Adesina said until the boards are reconstituted, the Chief Executive Officers of the affected parastatals, agencies and institutions are to refer all matters requiring the attention of their boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their supervising ministries.

He however said the dissolution did not affect Federal Executive Bodies listed in the 1999 Constitution but that the dissolution order covered administrative or technical committees and other similar organs established by the now dissolved boards.

Buhari also terminated the appointment of Mr. Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.

Adesina announced the sack in a statement made available to journalists. He however did not give reason for the termination of Akpobolokemi’s appointment, which he said took immediate effect.

He said Akpobolokemi would hand over the management of NIMASA and all government property in his possession to the most senior officer in the agency, who would remain in charge until a new Director-General was appointed.

The affected federal parastatals, agencies and institutions include the Securities and Exchange Commission being chaired by the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi; the Nigerian Railway Corporation, which has a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, as its chairman; the Nigeria Communications Commission, chaired by Mr. Peter Igoh; the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, which is chaired by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh; and the Infrastructure Concessionary and Regulatory Commission, chaired by Senator Ken Nnamani.

Others are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission; Niger Delta Development Commission, National Universities Commission; Nigeria Customs Service; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control; Nigeria Boundary Commission; the Nigerian Shippers’ Council; the National Youth Service Corps; Nigerian Television Authority; the Raw Materials Research and Development Council and National Lottery Regulation Commission and the National Educational Research and Development Council.

Also on the list are the boards of the National Pension Commission, the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, the National Sports Commission, and the National Institute of Sports.

Others are the Federal Housing Authority, Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority, Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority, Cross River Basin Development Authority, Chad Basin Development Authority, Hadeja-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, Anambra-Imo River Basin Authority, Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority and Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority.

Also affected are the National Teachers’ Institute, National Veterinary Research Institute, National Agriculture Extension and Research Liaison, Institute for Agricultural Research and Training, Institute for Agricultural Research, Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Advertising Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria, Industrial Training Fund, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, and the National Directorate of Employment and all federal institutions of higher learning among others.

The Federal Executive Bodies not affected by the dissolution are the Code of Conduct Bureau, Council of State, Federal Character Commission, Federal Civil Service Commission, and the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

Other are the Independent National Electoral Commission, National Defence Council, National Economic Council, National Judicial Council, National Population Commission, National Security Council, and the Nigeria Police Council.

The remaining two are the Police Service Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.(Punch)