Posted by From Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja on
Following the protests that greeted the recently reconstituted boards of federal agencies and parastatals, President Olusegun Obsasanjo yesterday stopped the inauguration of the boards of National Communications Commission (NCC), the Human Right Commission and the Legal Aid Council.
Following the protests that greeted the recently reconstituted boards of federal agencies and parastatals, President Olusegun Obsasanjo yesterday stopped the inauguration of the boards of National Communications Commission (NCC), the Human Right Commission and the Legal Aid Council.
The new boards were to be headed by Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, Justice G. E. Edokpayi and Reverend Hyde Onuaguluchi respectively.
There are also strong indications that sequel to the furore generated by the recent reconstitution of federal boards, government would henceforth embark on secret appointments of people into boards that are yet to be filled.
Presidency sources told THISDAY that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Mr Bayo Ojo had written President Obasanjo drawing his attention to the fact that the tenure of the said boards were only recently renewed having received the approval of the Senate.
"The Attorney General of the Federation has written the President drawing his attention to the existence of the boards whose tenure were recently renewed with the approval of the Senate. He specifically told him that going by the law, already reconstituted boards cannot be reconstituted a second time especially as they affect the three boards in question namely the National Communications Commission, Human Rights Commission and Council for Legal Education", the source said.
On the board of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the source noted that the chairman of the Board, Mr May Nzeribe protested the reconstitution of the board when the tenure of the board he is chairing was only recently renewed.
"In the case of APCON, it is the Federal Ministry of Information that should actually write the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in that regard and not necessarily APCON", the source further said.
On boards with only one member, the source affirmed that in such cases the law allowed for only a member as it is in the case of Corporate Affairs Commis-sion, Energy Commission of Nigeria Utilities Charges Commission among others.
Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission, Alhaji Ahmed Joda and his counterparts at APCON, Human Rights Commission and Council for Legal Education protested the reconstitution of the boards on the grounds that their tenure was recently renewed.
Members of the affected Human Rights Commission include Chief Anthony Akaroto, Barrister Emmanuel Jime, Chief Adetutu Braimoh, Isaac O Kamala and Barrister Ude Ugochukwu.
Members of affected National Communications Commission include Aminu Abdullahi, Alhaji Haruna Azare, Abdulrahman Gimba, Chief Sunday Ogunlade, Chief Cosmos Iwu, Mr Joseph Obulime and Alhaji Abdullahi Aminu.
The reconstituted board of the Legal Aid Council include Haruna Haruna 111, Honourable Augustine Katakata, Mr Bernard Hom, Mr Tunji Oyelade and Sir Bon Nwakanma.
The inauguration of the board of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was suspended following the nomination of the wife of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ahmadu Ali as chairman. The development was said to have pitched the chairman against the President.