Govs probe predecessors, review contracts, reverse appointments

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Govs probe predecessors, review contracts, reverse appointments

Some state governors have begun the probe of their predecessors’ last-minute appointments and activities, Sunday PUNCH can report.

This is as some of the governors inaugurated on May 29, 2023 have set up panels to look into the activities of their predecessors. In some states, the governors have reversed some appointments and contracts awarded by the previous administrations.

In Sokoto State, Governor Ahmed Aliyu has approved the constitution of a 19-member committee to review what he termed wasteful and unnecessary auction of government assets during the last administration.

The committee’s terms of reference include, among others, review “all the wasteful and unnecessary auction of government’s assets.”

The governor also revoked all land and housing allocations made by former governor Aminu Tambuwal towards the end of his tenure.

Aliyu also dissolved all the boards of state-owned companies and corporations, and reversed all last-minute civil service recruitments and traditional rulers’ appointments.

The governor, in an announcement by his Press Secretary, Mallam Abubakar Bawa, noted that all appointments made by the Tambuwal administration after March 19, 2023, were affected.

He said the renaming of tertiary institutions and appointments made into their governing councils as well as relocations announced by the immediate past administration were nullified.

The statement read in part, “All recent appointments of traditional rulers made by former governor Aminu Tambuwal are hereby suspended and will be reviewed in due course in public interest.

“All local government sole administrators/caretaker committees recently appointed by the immediate past administration are hereby dissolved.”

In Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia, also nullified recent appointments into the state civil service made by his predecessor, Samuel Ortom.

The administration also set up a committee to recover all government property allegedly looted by the immediate past government. The governor, a few days after assuming office, said he met no vehicles in the Government House as they were allegedly taken by officials of the previous administration.

Ortom’s aide had defended the action, saying it was standard practice in the state for governors and their appointees to go with their official vehicles.

Alia also said all civil service appointments from May 2022 to the expiration of the Ortom administration were nullified with immediate effect.

Prior to Alia’s inauguration, the then governing Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress had engaged in a war of words over last-minute policies by the Ortom administration, ranging from recruitment of workers to their promotion and award of contracts.

While the APC’s Publicity Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, raised the alarm and accused Ortom’s administration of creating a bottleneck for the smooth take-off for the new government, the PDP through its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, justified the last-minute policies, saying Ortom remained the governor until noon of May 29.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, nullified all the recruitments made by his predecessor and ordered those who had retired but were yet to vacate their offices or duty posts, either because of extension or contract, to proceed on retirement forthwith.

Alia said, “All civil servants due for retirement but are yet to tender their letters of retirement or notice of retirement should do so forthwith and proceed on retirement immediately.

“All civil servants and or persons appointed permanent secretaries from the month of January 2023 to date should revert to their previous positions forthwith.

“All the postings and transfers made in the state civil service from October 2022 to date are hereby nullified. The affected staff members should revert to their former ranks, stations or offices with immediate effect.”

In Kaduna State, Governor Uba Sani set up a “high-powered committee” to appraise some of the parastatals under the previous government led by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

The committee is headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, who also served as El-Rufai’s deputy between 2019 and May 2023.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mohammed Shehu, said the committee was to examine the activities of the parastatals.

He said, “The Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, has approved the constitution of a high-powered committee to review the performance of all state government parastatals. This decision was made in line with the governor’s commitment to ensuring that government agencies are operating at the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness.”

In Kano State, Governor Abba Yusuf had barely 24 hours after his inauguration sacked all political appointees inherited from his predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

He also revoked the sale of all government property and assets, while cancelling all contracts inherited from the Ganduje administration.

He stressed that he would not honour any debt incurred by the immediate past administration.

In an executive order he signed, the governor ordered that “all political appointees heading government ministries, departments and agencies and companies are hereby relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.”

Yusuf also dissolved all boards of MDAs, companies and institutions of higher learning with immediate effect. He directed security agencies to immediately take over all public property sold by his predecessor.

“I am announcing today that all these public places and assets that were immorally plundered and sold by the Ganduje administration should be taken over by law enforcement agencies, led by the police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Hisbah police, pending the final decision of the government,” he added.

In Cross River State, Governor Bassey Otu has set up a task force to stop massive deforestation said to be going on with impunity in the state.

Otu also relieved all political appointees of their jobs and ordered the state Auditor-General, John Odey, to proceed on immediate retirement. His counterpart in local government, Franca Inok, was also asked to proceed on compulsory retirement.

The two officials, however, said the governor had no such powers to retire them from service before their due date.

A statement by Out’s Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, halting recruitment into the civil service said, “In line with the Cross River State Government’s desire to reposition the state civil service to meet modern day service delivery objectives as well as enable the government to plan effectively for the overall good of our hardworking civil servants, His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, Governor of Cross River State, has approved as follows; a comprehensive re-verification of civil servants in the state civil service.

“The directive is that all civil servants must subject themselves to screening and documentation in the office of the Secretary to the State Government at a date to be announced.”

Also, the Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has constituted a nine-member committee to review the activities of the now-dissolved boards and commissions in the state from 2019 till date.

Some analysts described the move as a signal that the immediate past administration of Darius Ishaku might be probed.

A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Gibeon-Timothy Kataps, directed the committee to recommend how best to reorganise the boards and commissions to function optimally and achieve their set objectives in the best interest of the state.

While responding to a question posed by one of our correspondents on whether he would probe the immediate past administration, the governor said he would not hesitate to look into the books if the need arose.

The Abia State Government, on its part, has said it is still reviewing the last-minute policies of the last administration headed by Okezie Ikpeazu.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Mr Kazie Uko, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the state government had yet to take a decisive action on it.

“We are reviewing such policies; it is ongoing and will take a while,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Rivers State, Governor Siminialayi Fubara during his inaugural speech repeatedly said he would consolidate on former governor Nyesom Wike’s achievements.

The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has yet to reverse the appointments and contracts approved by his predecessor, Bello Mattawalle.

Lawal said he would not reverse all the decisions taken by the previous administration “unless there was the need to do so.”

The governor accused Matawalle of stealing official vehicles from the Government House before handing over to him.

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Governor, Sulaiman Bala- Idris, Lawal accused his predecessor of stealing the vehicles with impunity.

The governor had said during a radio programme that Matawalle sold all the official vehicles, refrigerators, television sets and other items in the Government House.

Heavily armed security personnel had on Friday, June 9, stormed the residence of Matawalle in his hometown in Maradun and removed about 40 vehicles.

All the vehicles were, however, returned to the ex-governor on Friday, June 17, in compliance with the order of the Federal High Court sitting in Gusau.

The court, presided over by Justice Aminu Bappah-Aliyu, had ordered all security agencies that removed the vehicles from Matawalle’s houses in Gusau and Maradun to return them within 48 hours.