Tinubu Makes Record Changes to Heads of Agencies

By Adedapo Adesanya 

President Tinubu announced a flurry of change to government agencies’ heads over the weekend in a move that his media office regarded as one of the busiest days ever in the state house.

He approved the appointment of Mr Jobson Ewalefoh as the new Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

Mr Ewalefoh is a professional with years of experience in government and development organizations and expertise in public-private partnerships, public policy reform and development.

The President also approved the appointment of Mr Tosin Adeyanju as the new Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF), saying he expects him to ensure transparency and efficiency in the agency’s operations to actualise the NLTF’s objective as a driver of good causes in Nigeria.

Mr Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr Silas Agara as the new Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

Mr Agara, an entrepreneur and sports administrator who previously served as the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, is tasked with overhauling the NDE for optimal performance in designing and implementing programmes to combat mass unemployment.

The Nigerian leader equally approved the appointment of Mr Olufemi Adekanmbi as the new Project Coordinator for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

The appointee is a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism in Ondo State and a member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES).

The President said his appointment should align with exercising competence, dedication, and professionalism in fulfilling the mission of the HYPREP to restore and revitalize communities impacted by hydrocarbon pollution, with a primary focus on Ogoniland in Nigeria.

Another was the appointment of Mr Umar Ibrahim Mohammed as the new Director-General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).

He is tasked to improve outcomes in the agency’s objective of operating and maintaining hydrological stations nationwide, as well as carrying out groundwater exploration and monitoring using various scientific techniques to provide hydrological and hydrogeological data needed for planning, design, execution and management of water resources and allied projects.

President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr Baffa Dan Agundi, the former majority leader of the Kano State House of Assembly and Principal Registrar of the Kano State High Court of Justice, as the new Director-General of the National Productivity Centre (NPC).

He anticipates the Director-General’s utmost dedication and patriotic zeal in driving the Centre’s mandate of developing a national culture of excellence in operational efficiency and institutionalizing a performance-driven orientation toward measurable productivity in the citizenry for the overall enhancement of service delivery and quality of life across the nation.

Business Post also reported that the President approved the appointment of Mr Abubakar Dantsoho as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to replace Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, with Mr Adedayo Adeyeye chosen to chair the board of the agency.

The spokesperson to President Tinubu on Media, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, later said, “We have broken the State House record for statements issued in a single day. Congrats to the PBAT Presidency!”