Board Dissolution: Full List Of Open Slots For Tinubu Allies, APC Faithfuls

President Bola Tinubu is ready to appoint members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to about 2,000 vacant positions. This decision comes after the disbandment of governing boards of over 153 agencies, institutions, and state-owned companies this Monday.

Sources that spoke with Punch revealed that Tinubu, on Wednesday, is planning to fill the positions primarily with members of his party, the APC.

The dissolved boards were among the 209 that were created by former President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2017. On Monday, President Tinubu announced the dissolution of all governing boards of Federal Government parastatals, agencies, and commissions.

A statement from Willie Bassey, Director of Information at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, clarified that only boards of commissions and councils listed in the third schedule, part one section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were exempt from the President’s directive.

The Nigeria Judicial Council, Code of Conduct Bureau; Council of State; Federal Character Commission; Federal Civil Service Commission; Independent National Electoral Commission; National Population Commission; Police Service Commission; and Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission are part of the agencies excluded from the directive.

Despite the dissolution, around 2,000 individuals are expected to be appointed to over 153 boards of agencies, commissions, departments, and other entities by the President.

Significant entities with vacancies include the North-East Development Commission with 12 vacant board slots, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission with seven board seats; Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, seven; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, 21; Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, 12; National Universities Commission, 21 and Transmission Commission of Nigeria, 14; National Health Insurance Authority,12

Others include the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, 7; Nigerian Meteorological Agency, seven; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology,8; Nigerian Police Trust Fund, 8; Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency,10; Federal Institute of Industrial Research, 11 and National Centre for Technology Management, 11.

Also on the list are the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, 11; Nigerian Customs Service, 11; National Pension Commission, 17; National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons, 11; National Identity Management Commission, 19; West Africa Examination Council, 8; Niger Delta Development Commission, 13; National Institute of Sports,12; Nigeria Deposit Insurance Company,12; National Bureau of Statistics,15; Federal Inland Revenue Services, 15; Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, 8 and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency,7, among others.

Although the exact number of vacant board slots could not be confirmed, it is estimated that a federal board has an average of eight members, while some agencies have up to 14 board positions.

This move comes after the previous administration’s last-minute appointments, which faced criticism. Buhari had made several appointments to agency and parastatal boards close to his handover date.

Four days before handing over to Tinubu, Buhari appointed Garzali Abubakar as the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund, along with appointing the chairman and board members of the fund.

The former Presidential aide, Garba Shehu in a statement said Buhari also approved the appointment of the chairman and board members of the fund.

Those appointed include Aduke Hussain as Chairman, Hussaini Mohammed (North Central Representative), Mohammed Umar (North West), Abdulsalam Ahmed (North-East), Stella Uzokwe (South-East), Stephen Ikata (South-South) and Olufunlayo Oluwole Faloye (South -West).