SAHARA REPORTERS
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government with barely a week to handing over has been involved in last-minute contracts worth N3.7trillion and a series of appointments after the general elections.
It was learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari and his ministers made these appointments and entered into the contracts between March 20, 2023 and May 14, 2023, following the conduct of presidential and governorship elections, which produced Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as “President-elect” and a total of 28 governors, 16 of whom will take over from their predecessors, who will complete their constitutionally approved second term in 2023.
During the review period, some of the outgoing governors were also found to be involved in the last-minute appointments, PUNCH reports.
According to analyses, over N3.7trillion in contracts were awarded between March 20 and May 14, 2023.
The Federal Executive Council approved N453.90 billion for the acquisition of rolling stock, operation and maintenance equipment for the under construction Kano-Maradi standard gauge rail line on March 23.
On the same day, the FEC approved N5,157,265,770 for the construction of 192 flats for officers and men of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, as well as $984.7 million for the procurement of maintenance equipment for the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
Various contracts worth N210 billion were approved during the FEC meeting on March 29, 2023, for the provision of various infrastructure, including free Internet services at 20 of the country’s airports, 43 higher education institutions, and 20 markets across the country. A breakdown of the contracts revealed that N95.98 billion was approved for various road projects, while N59.78 billion was approved to continue the ongoing Ogoni clean-up.
Buhari appointed Paul Harris Ogbole (SAN), ex-Chairman of Benue State’s Otukpo Local Government Council and former member of the Board of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to the Council for Legal Education for a four-year term beginning May 17, 2023.
Garba Baba-Umar, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, was appointed as a Senior Security Adviser on International Police Cooperation and Counter-terrorism in the Office of the Minister of Police Affairs on May 11.
According to a Presidency statement, the appointment was made to allow “Umar to complete his nationally beneficial tenure as an executive member of INTERPOL.”
Two days later, Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, announced the appointment of a Benue monarch as Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Otuoke in Bayelsa state.
On May 5, 2Buhari reappointed the members of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund’s Board of Trustees.
On May 3, the President, in a letter to Senate President Ahmed Lawan, asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of 12 nominees to the North East Development Commission’s governing board.
Buhari had reappointed Abike Dabiri-Erewa as Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission the day before. On the same day, the President asked the Senate to confirm six federal commissioners for the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN SAHARA REPORTERS
