Following public outcry over the inclusion of names of dead persons on the list of recently appointed chairmen and members of board of government parastatals and agencies, the Presidency has offered reasons for its action.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Saturday said the list released on Friday by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), was prepared before President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical vacation and was subsequently released by the SGF, Boss Mustapha without any alteration.
According to him, the President requested for the submission of 50 names each by the state chapters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2015 which were later complied by the National Secretariat of the party.
He also pointed out that the names were then submitted to the immediate past SGF, Babachir Lawal.
He said: “However, complaint arose from some governors who felt they were not carried along in the process. To answer this, the president constituted a committee under the vice president to review and reflect the interest of the governors.”
He disclosed that action on the report submitted to the President by the committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was delayed because of President Buhari’s illness and his subsequent medical vacation abroad.
“The president’s trips for medical attention slowed down completion of the process,” he said.
According to him, the president only decided to revisit the matter recently and therefore directed the new SGF to release the list.
“The current SGF was only directed to complete that process by releasing the list which he apparently did without altering it,” he stated.
Stating that the appearance of names of dead persons was an error which would be corrected .
The President had approved the constitution of the Governing Boards of Agencies and Parastatals, under some Ministries, as well as the appointment of eminently qualified Nigerians to fill the Board positions.
It is made up of 209 Chairmen and 1,258 members.
