Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Federal Government will, today, inaugurate chairmen and board members of eight parastatals under the supervision of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

The inauguration will be carried out by the SGF, Boss Mustapha, on behalf of the federal government.

President Muhammadu Buhari had recently approved the appointments of the chairmen and members of the boards.

The parastatals to be inaugurated are the National Commission for Refugees, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, National Lottery Trust Fund, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission, Federal Road Safety Commission, Galaxy Backbone Limited and the National agency for the Control of AIDS.

In a statement by the Permanent Secretary (General Services) Office of the SGF, Olusegun Adekunle, those to be inaugurated include the Chairman, Premier Lotto Nigeria Limited, Chief Kensington Adebutu, and three of his family members made the list for the 14-member board of the National Lottery Trust Fund.

Other members of the Adebutu family that made the list are Ajibola Adebutu, Adebisi Adebutu and Olanipekun Adebutu.

While Kensington was identified as chairman of licencees, Ajibola and Adebisi were said to be representatives of major shareholders on the board which has Christopher Eta as chairman. The SGF himself will chair the board of Galaxy Backbone Limited.

For the National Commission for Refugees, Mustapha will inaugurate Peter Biye as chairman of the six-member board that includes a representative of the SGF, Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Ambassador Muntari Kaita, Tijjani Babura and Anthonio Canhandula who will serve as an observer/member.

The SGF will inaugurate Rev. Yomi Kasali as chairman of the NCPC which has 14 members; as well as Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle as the chairman of NLRC that has 10 members. 

Other chairmen to be inaugurated include Prof. Simon Mallam-NAEC; Bukhari Bello-FRSC and Pauline Tallen-NACA.

Last December, dead people were found to be on the list of boards of federal government agencies released.

The Presidency had blamed the delay on approving the boards members on Buhari’s health who could not act in the recommendations by the former SGF, Babachir Lawal.

The president, thereafter, ordered Mustapha to review the entire list.

In all, 209 chairmen and 1,258 board members were announced at the time.

Some of the dead persons on the list released then included late Senator Francis Okpozo, who died in December 2016. He was named the chairman of the board of the Nigerian Press Council.

Another was Donald Ugbaja, the late Deputy Inspector-General of Police who died in November but was listed as one of the board members of the Consumer Protection Council.

Also on the list was the late founder of Fidei Polytechnic, Rev. Christopher Utov, who died in March but was listed as a board member of the Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research. Also included on the list was late Alhaji Umar Dange, an APC leader in Sokoto State, who was appointed as a board member of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta. Similarly, Kabir Umar, a former Emir of Katagum in Bauchi State, who died on December 9, was on the board of the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, Bauchi. Another appointee, Ahmed Bunza, was said to have died at Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto and was buried May 22.