- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has, on Friday, forwarded fresh appointment list to the Senate for confirmation.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the President forwarded to the Senate for confirmation a modified list of members of the inaugural Governing Board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) and South East Development Commission (SEDC).
For the SEDC, Tinubu nominated Hon. Emeka Atuma as the chairman and Hon. Mark C. Okoye as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, subject to their confirmation by the Senate.
Meanwhile, in a list of nominees sent to the Senate late in September 2024, President Tinubu had nominated Ambassador Haruna Ginsau as chairman of the NWDC board while also naming Senator Tijani Yahaya Kaura and Hon. Abdulkadir S. Usman as members.
They have, however, being replaced in the new list with Ja’afar Abubakar Sadeeq and Yahaya Aminu Abdulhadi, while the new chairman is Alh Lawal Samai’la Abdullahi.
Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji retains his position as managing director and chief executive officer.
Other board members featured on the first list are Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe, Yahaya Aminu Abdulhadi, and Engr. Muhammad Ali Wudil, Shamsu Sule, Nasidi Ali and Aminu Suleiman.
After receiving the President’s first list of nominations, the Senate, according to the statement, adjusted the NWDC’s establishment act to accommodate members from other geo-political zones.
President Tinubu complied with the adjustment in the new list, with the following named to represent the six zones:
They are Chukwu Chijioke, Ahmed Mohammed, Engr. Ahmed Rufai Timasaniyu and Macdonalds Michael Uyi. Others are Yemi Ola and Hon. Babatunde Dada.
Other members of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) are Barr. Ugochukwu H. Agballah, Hon. Okey Ezenwa, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, Hon. Donatus Eyinnah Nwankpa, Barr. Ifeanyi Agwu Ph.D, Nasiru Usman and Hamma Adama Ali Kumo.
The additional nominees in the commission include Edward David Onoja, Orure Kufre Inima and Chief (Mrs.) Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma.
Prince Obinna Obiekweihe, Executive Director (Projects); Sen. Anthony O. Agbo, Executive Director, Finance and Administration; and Dr. Daniel Ikechukwu Ugwuja, Executive Director (Corporate Services), were also nominated.
President Tinubu reiterates his commitment to regional development and expects the new nominees, as pioneers, to utilise their wealth of experience and expertise to actualize the mandates of the two Commissions and develop their regions.