FG Reacts To Report Of Setting Up Panel To Reconstitute Board Of Parastatals

The Federal Government has refuted claims of establishing a committee to reconstitute parastatal boards.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, Dr. George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), clarified this matter.

On June 19, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the dissolution of all federal government parastatals, agencies, institutions, and government-owned companies in line with Constitutional Powers and the Public interest.

However, this dissolution does not impact Boards, Commissions, and Councils listed in the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

Despite this, a media report suggested that the federal government had formed an ad-hoc committee for the purpose of development.

The SGF, in a statement on Sunday signed by Willie Bassey, Director of Information in his office, refuted the claim. He clarified that there is no basis to the story, as the government has not established any ad-hoc committee, as alleged, to review the qualifications of individuals for these board appointments, as mentioned in the report.

The statement emphasized that the recent visit of former governors of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, and Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, to the SGF’s office had no connection to such an ad-hoc committee. Their visit was related to their recent appointments as ministers.

Furthermore, the statement pointed out that the spokesperson of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) was inaccurately quoted as indicating that 14 agencies were exempted.

In reality, the President’s approval at that time only concerned two agencies: the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC).

To ensure accurate reporting, the SGF urged media personnel to verify information directly from authorized sources in his office, rather than relying on potentially inaccurate social media reports.