The Nigerian federal government has denied the creation of a panel to reassemble parastatal boards.
In response to a story from a portion of the media, the denial was made in a statement released on Sunday by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
There is no reality to reports that the government has established an ad hoc committee as claimed to assess the resumes of people who would fill such board posts, according to a statement signed by a director of information, Willie Bassey.
It further stated that the former governors of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, and Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, visited the SGF office on Friday to discuss their most recent cabinet appointments, not the alleged ad hoc committee.
The complete statement is as follows: “The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has been alerted to the Sunday Punch article titled “FG sets up Panel to Reconstitute Boards of Parastatals,” which appears on Page 6.
“Sen. George Akume, CON, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, wishes to state unequivocally that the story as published in the Sunday Punch is untrue and that no ad hoc committee has been established by the government to review the resumes of those who could fill such board appointments, as stated in the said publication.
“This ad hoc committee had nothing to do with the visits of the two former governors of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, and Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, to his office on Friday. It is directly related to their most recent appointment as ministers.
Additionally, the spokesperson for the OSGF was misquoted by the reporter as saying that 14 agencies were explicitly exempted. In contrast, at the time the release in question was made, only the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC) had the President’s consent.
“SGF advises media personnel to always cross-check information directly from authorized persons in his office rather than relying on some social media reports that may be inaccurate,” reads a statement from the SGF.