Withdraw Dead Appointees, SERAP Tells Buhari

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is demanding the immediate withdrawal of over six dead appointees into the board of agencies and parastatals.

A statement from Deputy Director, Mr Timothy Adewale said the development would suggest “appointments approved by President Muhammadu Buhari were unscreened for competence, merit, equity, aptitude and conflicts of interest.”

According to Adewale, the President must prove himself as truly a change agent by doing things differently from successive governments that apparently handed out board appointments to reward party members, supporters and cronies.

This he noted, was for the Commander-in-Chief not to play partisan politics to the detriment of the nation.

It read in part: “Going ahead with these appointments would neither advance due process nor Buhari’s oft-expressed commitment to prevent and combat corruption. It would create a lack of trust and confidence among the general public.

“Withdrawing the appointments and directing and allowing the civil service systems to follow due process to reappoint chairpersons and members to the boards of these agencies and parastatals would bring the government’s practices and operations into conformity with Nigeria’s international anti-corruption obligations, particularly the UN Convention against Corruption. Nigeria has ratified the convention.

“It is absolutely important for Buhari to ensure that the process through which board appointments are made is transparent and merit-based. A merit-appointment system would produce a better-qualified board, and ultimately improve the governance architecture and access of Nigerians to essential public services. It should be the practice of this government to make board appointments on the basis of ability, and not because of political influence or connection.”

The group’s reaction comes barely 24 hours after the presidency released a list of the appointment made by President to head top agencies of government.

Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in a statement on Saturday indicated that 209 chairmen and 1,258 members were selected, indicating that more appointments were on the way.

Reactions, however, trailed the list when it was observed that no fewer than six members had passed away, some of which include: late Senator Francis Okpozo, Donald Ugbaja, Rev. Christopher Utov, late Alhaji Umar Dange, Kabir Umar, and Ahmed Bunza.

Although the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu was quick to admit that the appearance of dead persons names was a mistake on their part, he however assured that it would be corrected.