President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of board chairpersons and chief executive officers for 42 federal government agencies and parastatals in a major leadership shake-up aimed at strengthening governance and improving service delivery across key public institutions. The appointments take immediate effect.
Also Read: BREAKING: Tinubu Nominates Controversial FUOYE VC Abayom
The appointments were announced in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed that the President also named a new Managing Director for the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), a Director-General for the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), and a Secretary for the Civil Defence, Immigration and Prisons Services Board.
Among the high-profile appointments are former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as Chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), former Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi as Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), former Rivers South-East Senator Magnus Abe as Chairman of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, and Dr. Kayode Isiak Opeifa as Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. Raji Kazeem Kolawole was appointed Director-General of the National Board for Technology Incubation.
Other appointments span strategic sectors including education, healthcare, transportation, housing, maritime administration, science and technology, environmental regulation, industrial development and social welfare, with chairpersons named for several federal medical centres, teaching hospitals and research institutions across the country.
President Tinubu also directed the newly appointed board chairpersons to refrain from interfering in the day-to-day administration of their respective agencies, stressing that their positions are strictly non-executive. According to the Presidency, the responsibility for managing the organisations remains with their chief executives and management teams.
Backstory
The latest appointments are part of the Tinubu administration’s ongoing effort to reconstitute governing boards and leadership teams across federal institutions following the expiration of previous tenures and vacancies in several agencies. Since assuming office in May 2023, the President has consistently undertaken reforms aimed at repositioning public institutions to align with his Renewed Hope Agenda. These reforms have included the reconstitution of boards, appointments of chief executives, and changes in the leadership of strategic government agencies to improve accountability, efficiency and service delivery.
Analysts say the latest appointments continue the administration’s strategy of combining experienced politicians, technocrats and professionals in the governance of federal agencies. The appointments also ensure that key institutions overseeing transportation, education, healthcare, science, environmental protection and economic development have substantive leadership to drive government policies and programmes.
The Presidency stated that all appointments become effective immediately, with the expectation that the new board chairpersons and chief executives will work towards improving institutional performance while adhering to the distinct roles assigned to governing boards and executive management.
