No fewer than six of such names appeared on the list, with one of them passing on about two months ago, a development that triggered public outrage.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had, on Friday, released a list of 209 chairmen and 1,258 members of boards of government parastatals and agencies.
Curiously, the list has also split the ranks of some groups, whose members are among the beneficiaries with some contemplating whether or not to accept the appointments.
Among the list of appointments to board members was the name of a Catholic priest, the late Reverend Father Chris Utov, from Benue State, who died on March 17, 2017.
Utov was the proprietor of a private institution, Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko.
Before his death, he was a member of the state Christian Pilgrims Board.
Other dead beneficiaries included Senator Francis Akposo, who was listed for the chairmanship of the Nigerian Press Council (NPC), but had died since December 26, 2016.
A former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Chief Donald Ughaja, who died on November 29, 2017, was also listed for the federal board appointment.
Garba Attahiru from Kaduna State, who was chairman of Kaduna South Local Government Council, but had died sometime last year, also featured on the list.
A retired banker and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Sokoto State, Umar Danger, who was said to have died about six months ago, was also listed. Another deceased beneficiary was Kabir Umar said to be from Bauchi State.
APC is incompetent —PDP
Reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lashed out at the APC-led administration, describing the development as “an unpardonable national embarrassment.”
In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party declared that the development had further confirmed PDP’s position that the APC administration was “completely confused, disorganised and grossly incompetent.”
He added that Nigerians “can now see the level of recklessness and shoddiness inherent in the management of the nation under the APC.”
The party noted that the situation had exposed why the nation’s economy had been in a shambles under the APC and wondered how “a government which could not tidy up a routine issue of board appointment for over two years could successfully take on complex issues of governance.”
According to the party, “Nigerians can now see why the nation’s economy has been in a shambles in the last two years. When we say that this government is completely inept, some Nigerians did not know to which level, but now they do.
“This inability to tidy up a simple issue of list of 209 appointees has completely exposed the extent the APC’s government is bereft of simple organisational skills to manage a country like Nigeria, which is in dire need of development.
“How on earth can a government that cannot compile a common list handle intricate issues of national planning and budgeting; issues of health, education, aviation, agriculture, infrastructure and management of the huge civil service?
“How can they possibly initiate and successfully implement national and international instruments for national development in today’s competitive world?
“This also explains why nothing has been working under the APC administration. Furthermore, the mix up in the list also exposes the corruption in the APC government.
“The fact is that the government of our dear country has been in wrong hands in the last two years and the situation will continue to worsen unless the nation is rescued from them in 2019.
“We urged Nigerians to disregard the lame excuses by the APC government and hold them responsible for the woes that have befallen the country under their inept and undesirable regime since assumption office,” he said.
Presidency explains
However, the Presidency, explained the reasons names of dead people appeared on the list.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, gave the history of the list, saying that it was prepared before President Muhammadu Buhari took ill and was released by the SGF, without any alteration.
He said the president requested the submission of 50 names each by the state chapters of the APC in 2015, which were later complied by the national secretariat of the party.
Subsequently, he revealed, the names were submitted to the then SGF, Babachir Lawal.
He added: “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.”
The presidential aide noted 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.
The presidential spokesman said 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.
The Presidency maintained that the appearance of dead persons names was a mistake which would be corrected.
The president 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.
A statement issued by SGF, in Abuja on Friday said the president considered the approval for the constitution of the boards, as well as the appointments as they were “very necessary, so as to provide a proper governance and oversight structure for government agencies and parastatals.”
The statement added: “The constitution of the boards with the appointments, is a demonstration of this government’s efforts aimed at building strong institutions of governance, and by extension, improving the quality of policy formulation and supervision.
“While these appointments represent a substantial number of hitherto pending board appointments, some more appointments are still being processed and will be released in due course.
“The appointments take immediate effect and Honourable Ministers are advised to inaugurate the boards after letters of appointment have been issued.”
Mixed reactions in Ekiti
A statement by the publicity secretary of APC in the Ekiti State, Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun, praised the President Buhari for considering members of the party in the state worthy of their appointments.
Olatunbosun called on the new appointees to do Ekiti State proud in their new assignments, saying “the party urged the president to consider Ekiti State for more appointments, including locating employment-generating projects in the state.”
A youth in the state, Mr Adeoluwa Oyebode Luther, who served as Special Assistant on Students and Youth Matters to former Governor Kayode Fayemi, expressed reservations and worries over the non-inclusion of the younger generation in the list.
Oyebode said his “critical view and personal opinion is that leadership cannot be handed over to a capacity not built. What plan has the ‘system’ for the next generation in all of these?”
Appointment reinforces division in Osun APC
Strong indications have emerged in Osun on how the three key political groupings within the APC shared the board appointments.
Some top party stalwarts, who spoke to Sunday Tribune under condition of anonymity, said the appointments had further shown the divisions between groups loyal to Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other stakeholders suspected to be at loggerheads with him.
However, the spokesperson of the APC in the state, Kunle Oyatomi, insisted that the party remained one united family.
Scrutinise appointment list henceforth, ACF tells FG
In its reaction to the appointments of dead men, Arewa Consultative Forum’s (ACF’s) national publicity secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, counselled that the Presidency should henceforth take the pain to scrutiny any list of people appointed into government boards.
‘We should talk about the future and not to delve on something that has happened,” he stressed.
Junaid Muhammad reacts
Dr Junaid Muhammad, a renown critic and former lawmaker, while speaking to Sunday Tribune, said the new appointment was not based on any criterion, noting that “it was clearly done because there was pressure from some members of the five legacy parties that formed the APC.”
“The five legacy parties that formed the APC ,who were being complained that they that contributed immensely, financially and materially, but were not being favoured in the past appointments done by President Buhari ,hence the need to come out with the list to show that he cares for them and is ready to address their grievances,” he said.
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