Jobs/Appointments
Buhari Retains Bala Usman as NPA Managing Director
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has been given another chance to steer the ship of the agency for another term of five years.
This followed the approval of her reappointment by President Muhammadu Buhari, who may have been impressed with the handling of the NPA by the Kaduna State-born politician.
On Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, disclosed that the board of the NPA has been reconstituted with the appointment of non-executive members.
This has placed Mr Emmanuel Olajide Adesoye from South-West region of the country as the Chairman of the agency, while five persons have been appointed as members of the board.
The members are Mr Ekenyem Nwafor-Orizu from the South-East, Mr Akinwunmi Ricketts from the South-South, Mr Ghazali Mohammed Mijinyawa from the North-East, Mr Mustapha Amin Dutse from the North-West, and Mr Abdulwahab Adesina from the North-Central.
Ms Bala Usman, member of the ruling All Progressives Congress born on January 2, 1976, was first appointed as the MD of the NPA in 2016 by Mr Buhari.
Before her appointment, the Business Administration graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Kaduna State was the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Nasir El-Rufai.
Meanwhile, President Buhari has also approved the appointment of board members for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
In the same statement issued by Mr Adesina today, it was disclosed that Mr Muhammad K. Ahmad was picked as the Chairman of the board, which will “oversee the selection of a new Managing Director for the organisation.”
Members of the board approved by the President include Mr Henry Okolo, Imamudden Talba, Ambassador Usman Sarki, Ali Haruna, Engr. Simeone Atakulu, Zubaida Mahey Rasheed, Dr Mustapha Abiodun Akinkunmi, Engr. Oladele Amoda, and Dr Nkiru Balonwu.
Other members of the TCN board are representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Power, Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE), FGN Power Company Limited, and executive management of TCN.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The former Governor of Benue State, Mr George Akume, has been sworn in as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Mr Akume, who moved into the Senate after he left office as Governor from 1999 to 2007, was appointed as SGF by President Bola Tinubu last week.
On Wednesday, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, he took the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office in the presence of his boss and others.
Those present were the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima; the Senate President, Mr Ahmed Lawan; the Benue State Governor, Mr Hyacinth Alia; the Kwara State Governor, Mr AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan.
The 69-year-old former lawmaker from 2007 to 2015 is the 21st person to occupy the position, taking over from Mr Boss Mustapha, who served under the immediate past administration of Mr Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is an honour to be chosen to serve in this exalted position out of over 200 million Nigerians.
“It is a challenge to serve in line with the oaths I have taken today. I assure Nigerians I will do my best and I will not disappoint the President.
“I will not disappoint this country; I will not disappoint my party. I believe Nigerians will find fulfilment in my responsibility as I discharge my duties,” Mr Akume said after the brief ceremony today.
Mr Akume served under Mr Buhari as Minister of Special Duties from 2019 to 2023.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has been appointed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Gbajabiamila won his re-election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly on February 25, 2023, but with this appointment, he will have to lose his seat in the parliament to coordinate the activities of his new boss.
Also, Mr Tinubu has picked the former Governor of Benue State, Mr George Akume, as the new Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).
He is take over from the former occupier of the position, Mr Boss Mustapha, who served under the administration of the immediate past President, Mr Muhammadu Buhari.
Similarly, the former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Mr Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, has been chosen by Mr Tinubu as his Deputy Chief of Staff.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Roshan Dharia has been appointed as the interim chief executive of Paxful, a leading global peer-to-peer Bitcoin platform.
In a statement issued by the company’s press team, it was disclosed that the appointment of Mr Dharia became effective on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Recall that Paxful returned to business some weeks ago after it shut down its operations due to internal issues.
Mr Dharia would be expected to reposition the firm “with the objectives of strengthening operations and exploring strategic alternatives.”
He was most recently a senior executive at TrustToken (now known as Archblock) where he led the DeFi institutional lending business, successfully deploying over $1.5 billion in stablecoin loans to crypto-native companies.
Prior to TrustToken, Roshan founded and built the investment platform PTHL Affiliates, which specialized in the acquisition and turnaround of distressed private companies across multiple industries.
As a seasoned executive, he has held various positions as an investor and investment banker with transactional experience totalling over $30 billion across mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings, and financings.
The interim CEO, who is highly adept in navigating special situations with complex risk profiles and significant intrinsic value, said he was greatly honoured “to become CEO of Paxful.”
“Over the last eight years, Paxful has been a pioneer in establishing the real use cases of Bitcoin and helping millions of people in the process.
“I look forward to hitting the ground running and building on the innovative technology developed by the Paxful team,” he added.
The Custodian of Paxful, Srinivas Raju, while commenting on the appointment, said, “I’m delighted that Roshan has joined Paxful and will take over day-to-day management of the company. I’m confident under his leadership; the business will keep building a financial system that truly serves the 100 per cent.”
Since its inception in 2015, Paxful has grown to a community of over 12 million users around the world, with billions of dollars traded on the platform over the last eight years.
