President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of 26 people into the boards and leadership of 10 federal government agencies and commissions, with former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, emerging as the new Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The appointments, which take immediate effect, were announced on Monday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The latest appointments are part of the Tinubu administration’s ongoing efforts to fill key positions in government institutions responsible for power, population, agriculture, housing, public finance and other critical sectors.
According to the Presidency, Fayose will chair the board of the Rural Electrification Agency, one of the Federal Government’s key institutions responsible for expanding access to electricity in rural and underserved communities across the country.
He will serve alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta, who were appointed as members and non-executive directors of the board.
The statement noted that the agency’s Director-General, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three executive directors previously appointed by the government will complete the composition of the board.
The Rural Electrification Agency plays a major role in implementing government programmes aimed at providing electricity to communities that are not connected to the national grid.
Over the years, the agency has executed solar power projects, mini-grid schemes and rural electrification initiatives in schools, hospitals and remote communities to improve access to electricity and stimulate economic activities.
The appointment of Fayose is expected to attract political attention because he is a prominent member of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and served as Governor of Ekiti State from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2014 to 2018.
Although he has remained active in national politics after leaving office, his appointment into a federal agency under an APC-led administration is likely to generate public debate.
In the same announcement, President Tinubu appointed Major General Junaid Bindawa as Chairman of the National Salary and Wages Commission.
The commission is responsible for advising the Federal Government on salaries, wages and conditions of service for public servants.
The President also approved eight additional appointments into the commission.
Former member of the House of Representatives, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, was appointed Secretary of the commission.
Other appointees include Dr Ogbole Ene Lilian, who will represent Benue State, Oladele Olatubosun representing Oyo State and Yakubu Umar Barde representing Kaduna State as commissioners.
The remaining members appointed into the commission are Dr Mai Adamu Yau from Borno State, Ginika Florence Tor from Enugu State, Engineer Lawrence Okoh from Edo State and Bello Morenike Iyabode from Kogi State.
The Presidency also announced the redeployment of Tosin Johnson Adeyanju, who previously served as Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund.
He has now been appointed Secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the constitutional body responsible for revenue allocation among the three tiers of government and the determination of salaries and allowances for public office holders.
The President also approved the appointment of Dr Abuh Mohammed as the new Director-General of the National Population Commission (NPC).
The commission is responsible for conducting national population censuses, maintaining demographic data and providing population statistics that guide government planning and policy decisions.
Dr Akinola Odeyemi was appointed Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), the government-owned company established to buy electricity from generation companies and sell it to distribution companies under Nigeria’s electricity market.
The Presidency also named Dr Anthony Inalegwu Godwin as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission.
The commission oversees Nigeria’s peaceful use of nuclear technology for research, agriculture, medicine, electricity generation and industrial development.
Engineer Julius Oloro was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), located in Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to the Presidency, Oloro replaces Dr A.R. Kamal, who died in January this year.
NCAM is responsible for promoting mechanised farming and developing agricultural equipment to improve food production and modernise farming practices across Nigeria.
President Tinubu also constituted the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Dr Abdullahi Maikano Saidu was named chairman of the commission.
Other members of the board are Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Aliyu Makama, Dr Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Idowu Onikola.
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission monitors compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and promotes transparency, accountability and prudent management of public finances by government institutions.
The President further appointed Shuni Muhammad Dahiru as Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education.
He replaces Professor Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, who was reassigned to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund earlier this year.
The commission coordinates literacy programmes aimed at reducing adult illiteracy and expanding access to education for people outside the formal school system.
In another appointment, Gisaor Vincent Iorja was named Executive Director (Finance) of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA).
He replaces Mathias Byuan, who resigned from the position to contest the Benue State governorship election.
The Federal Housing Authority is one of the agencies responsible for developing affordable housing estates and implementing government housing policies across the country.
The Presidency stated that all the appointments take immediate effect.
Government officials said the appointments are intended to strengthen the leadership of key public institutions and improve service delivery in sectors that directly affect Nigerians.
Since assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu has continued to reconstitute boards and appoint heads of agencies as part of efforts to implement his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The administration has maintained that placing experienced professionals, technocrats and political leaders in strategic government institutions is necessary to improve governance, drive reforms and accelerate national development.
The appointments are expected to take effect immediately as the new board chairmen, chief executives and members prepare to assume their responsibilities in the various agencies and commissions.