PDP flays FG for appointing ‘ghosts’ into boards

Error Will Be Rectified, Says Presidency
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, described as unpardonable and a national embarrassment the appointment of dead persons as chairmen and members of various federal boards by the All Progressives Congress government (APC).

In a statement, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the development confirmed the party’s position that “the APC
administration is completely confused, disorganised and grossly
incompetent”, stressing that Nigerians could now see the level of recklessness
and shoddiness inherent in the management of the nation under the APC.

“How can a government that cannot compile a common list handle intricate issues of national planning and budgeting; issues of health, education, aviation, agriculture, infrastructure, as well as management of the huge civil service?” the party queried.

Deriding APC for not being able to tidy up a routine board appointment, PDP said the “situation has further exposed why the nation’s
economy has been in shambles under the APC”.

The statement adds: “When we say that this government is completely
inept, some Nigerians did not know to which level, but now they do. This inability to tidy up a simple issue of list of 209 appointees has completely exposed the extent the APC government is bereft of simple organisational skills to manage a country like Nigeria, which is in dire
need of development.

“How can they possibly initiate and successfully implement national and
international instruments for national development in today’s competitive world? The fact is that the government of our dear country has been in wrong
hands in the last two years and the situation will continue to worsen unless the nation is rescued from them in 2019.”

The Presidency, yesterday, however explained that the names of dead persons in the list of newly appointed chairmen and members of board of government parastatals and agencies released by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, last Friday, was a mistake that would be corrected.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed that the list was prepared before President Buhari became ill, and was released by the SGF on Friday without any alteration.

He said the President had requested the submission of 50 names each by the state chapters of the APC in 2015, which were later complied by the national secretariat of the party. He further disclosed that the names were submitted to the then SGF, David Babachir Lawal, noting, “Complaint arose from some governors who felt they were not carried along in the process. To answer this, the president constituted a committee under the vice president to review and reflect the interest of the governors.”

According to him, necessary decision on the report submitted to the president by the committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was delayed because of Buhari’s illness and his subsequent medical vacation in the United Kingdom.