Updated: President Buhari Appoints Dead Men Among 209 Chairmen Of Federal Boards (+Full List)

Many Nigerians were astonished on Friday when they discovered that two among the list of 209 chairmen of boards of agencies and parastatals approved by Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari had died.

It was not clear why the names of the deceased still featured on the list of nominees for the federal appointment but some observers tagged it as a posthumous appointment or one of the many blunders of the Buhari’s led administration.

The strange appointments became a new chapter in President Buhari’s controversial actions in recent times in which he has been criticized of having lost touch of governance.

BigPen Online learnt that among those appointed was an APC leader in Delta state, and second republic senator, Late Senator Francis Okpozo who died on December 26, 2016 in Benin City, the Edo State capital after a brief illness at the age of 81. Okpozo was appointed as chairman of Nigerian Press Council (NPC).

In the same vien, a Benue-born catholic Priest, Rev Fr Christopher Utov, appointed by Mr President as a member of the Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research died on March 18 this year after a brief illness.

Mr Nathaniel Ikyur, a veteran journalist and public relations consultant from Benue, who is knowledgeable about the death of the appointee revealed this in his Facebook page.

Former DIG of police, Chief Donald Ugbaja, who died in 29th November 2017 was also on the list as Member of the Consumer Protection Council.

Checks shows that the names of all the appointees were actually submitted in 2015 when Mr Buhari came onboard but refused to ratify it.

It could be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had condoled with the government and people of Delta state over the death of the All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain, Okpozo who hails from Ozoro, Isoko North Council Area at that time.

The Vanguard newspaper of December 28, 2016 had reported the condolences of Mr President thus: “In a statement by the presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina on Wednesday, the President also commiserated with ‘the family and friends of the late senator, whose championing of social justice in the Niger Delta, during his long history of service to the people, endeared him to many.”

Also appointed as chairman of University of Illorin Teaching Hospital, Illorin is the 2015 governorship candidate of the APC in Delta state, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as well as Executive Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Communication, Mr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe who has since dumped the APC. He was appointed as chairman of Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT).

Emerhor was said to have nominated Oghenesivbe, his estranged media aide, who few day ago made a public declaration that he is being maltreated by his new boss, Governor Okowa.

In the documents obtained by BigPen Online, President Buhari appointed two hundred and nine (209) board chairmen and one thousand, two hundred and fifty-eight (1,258) board members

According to the statement issued on Friday, December 29 by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; “Mr President considered the approval for the constitution of the Boards as well as the appointments, very necessary, so as to provide a proper Governance and oversight structure for Government Agencies and Parastatals.

“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”, the statement added.

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