A Week Of Fresh Appointments

• Tinubu Makes Appointments Across Communication, Trade And Investment Others
• Targets Effective, Efficient Working Synergy Between Presidency And MDAs

It has been a week of appointments by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The President kickstarted the appointment exercise on Monday, October 9, 2023, with the appointment of Fela Durotoye and four others to serve in the office of the president under the media and publicity directorate.

Mr Fela Durotoye was appointed as Senior Special Assistant to the President — National Values & Social Justice, Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo (Senior Special Assistant to the President — Public Engagement, Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe (Senior Special Assistant to the President — Strategic Communications), Mr. Aliyu Audu (Special Assistant to the President — Public Affairs) and Mr. Francis Adah Abah (Personal Assistant to the President — Special Duties)

Two days after, the President Appointed new leadership across the Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy Sectors

The appointees are EVC / CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) — Aminu Maida, MD / CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) — Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, DG / CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) — Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, National Commissioner / CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) — Dr. Vincent Olatunji and the Postmaster General / CEO, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) — Tola Odeyemi

The President also appointed Idris Alubankudi as Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy.

On Friday, October 13, 2023, the President went on an appointment spree issuing no fewer than 20 appointment letters.

He started the day with the appointment of new Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to oversee various agencies and departments within the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment in line with his ongoing initiatives to drive reform in the trade and investment space.

These appointments have also extended to key organizations such as the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, expressed in a statement that these appointments align with the President’s commitment to anchor the country’s economic resurgence on the pillars of expanding trade.

Among the individuals appointed is Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who will assume the leadership role at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Others are: Afiz Ogun Oluwatoyin — Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Kamar Bakrin—National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Olufemi Ogunyemi— Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA), Nonye Ayeni— Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Aisha Rimi— Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Bamanga Usman Jada— Oil & Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) and Charles Odii — the Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)

Others are Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke — Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Rabiu Olowo— Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), Anthony Atuche—Nigeria Commodities Exchange (NCE), Veronica Safiya Ndanusa — Lagos International Trade Fair Complex (LITFCMB), Lucia Shittu — Tafawa Balewa Square Management Board (TBSMB) and Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin — National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

According to Ngelale, President Tinubu expects all new appointees in this critical sector to optimally deliver in accordance with new key performance indicating benchmarks as established by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

A few hours later, news filtered in that the President has approved the appointment of the Governing Board and Management team of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) for a renewable term of four (4) years, in accordance with Section 2(3) of the FERMA Amendment Act, 2007:

Chairman of FERMA Board — Engr. Imam Ibrahim Kashim Imam, Managing Director of FERMA — Engr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi, Members are (NARTO) — Yusuf Lawal Othman, (FMW) — Engr. Ibi Terna Manasseh (FRSC) — ACM Shehu Mohammed and (Finance) — Babatunde Daramola-Oniru

Other members are (South-South) — Hon. Preye Oseke, (South-West) — Hon. Oye Ojobe, (South-East) — Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, (North-Central) — Sen. Timothy Adudu, (North-East) — Engr. Abubakar Bappa, (North-West) — Aminu Adamu Papa.

President Tinubu expects the new appointees to achieve integral and competent service delivery, given the central role that the institution will play in the sustainable health of growth-enabling infrastructure nationwide.

As the day gradually wounds down, the President once again approved the appointments of professionals who have prior working experience within the architecture of the Federal Ministries they will be coordinating with, in addition to duties that will be carried out at the President’s discretion:

Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy — Mr. Bayo Onanuga

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation — Ms. Delu Bulus Yakubu

The President wishes the new presidential aides well in the discharge of their duties while basing their appointment on part of efforts to prioritize effective and efficient working synergy between the Presidency and Federal Ministries.