By Nudoiba Ojen
President Bola Tinubu has appointed a new management team for the Rural Electrification Agency in acting capacity.
A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Chief Ajuru Ngelale, said the appointment takes immediate effect.
The appointees are:
(1) Abba Abubakar Aliyu — Managing Director/CEO
(2) Ayoade Gboyega — Executive Director, Corporate Services
(3) Umar Abdullahi Umar — Executive Director, Technical Services
(4) Doris Uboh — Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF)
(5) Olufemi Akinyelure — Head of Project Management Unit, Nigeria Electrification Project.
This follows the indefinite suspension by President Tunubu of the MD/CEO of the agency, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, alongside three Executive Directors of the Agency, from office:
The suspended Executive Directors are
(1) Olaniyi Alaba Netufo — Executive Director, Corporate Services
(2) Barka Sajou — Executive Director, Technical Services
(3) Sa’adatu Balgore — Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF).
Ngelale said that the action followed new findings unearthed during a comprehensive investigation into the financial activities of REA.
He added that “President Tinubu has ordered a wider investigation into the conduct of the aforementioned officials in a fraudulent mis-expenditure amounting to over N1.2 billion over the past two years, some of which has already been recovered by anti-graft agencies”.
