Tinubu’s Appointment of Ayo Fayose Triggers Family Row as Brother Says REA Role Is Beneath Ex-Governor

President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has triggered immediate controversy, with the ex-governor’s younger brother, Isaac Fayose, declaring that the position is beneath his brother’s political stature and urging him to hand it over to his son.

Isaac, in a video posted on his Instagram page shortly after the Presidency announced the appointment on Monday, argued that a politician of Ayo Fayose’s influence deserved a far more prominent role such as a ministerial or ambassadorial appointment rather than the chairmanship of a federal agency.

“They said they gave my brother DG, not a minister, not ambassador,” Isaac said.

“They said they gave him head of a parastatal, chairman of a committee. They no give him minister, they no give him ambassador. Even Reno Omokri sef, they gave him ambassador. They couldn’t give my brother ambassador. So why just chairman of a parastatal?” he added.

He further suggested that the former governor should relinquish the appointment to his son, insisting that the position does not reflect his brother’s political standing.

The criticism followed President Tinubu’s approval of the appointment of 26 officials into the boards and leadership of 10 Federal Government agencies and commissions, with Ayo Fayose emerging as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

The appointments were announced in a statement issued on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said they take immediate effect.

At the REA, Fayose will chair the board alongside Ahmadu Abubakar and Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as non-executive directors, while the agency’s Director-General, Abba Aliyu, and three previously appointed executive directors remain on the board.

President Tinubu also appointed Major General Junaid Bindawa (retd.) as Chairman of the National Salary and Wages Commission and approved eight additional appointments into the commission.

Former lawmaker Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas was named Secretary of the commission, while Ogbole Lilian, Oladele Olatubosun and Yakubu Barde were appointed commissioners representing Benue, Oyo and Kaduna states respectively. Other members include Mai Adamu Yau (Borno), Ginika Tor (Enugu), Lawrence Okoh (Edo) and Bello Iyabode (Kogi).

The President also reassigned Tosin Adeyanju, previously appointed Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund, as Secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission.

Other appointments include Abuh Mohammed as Director-General of the National Population Commission, Akinola Odeyemi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), Anthony Godwin as Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, and Julius Oloro as Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), replacing the late A.R. Kamal.

Tinubu equally constituted the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission with Abdullahi Saidu as Chairman. Other members are Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Makama, Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Onikola.

Also appointed was Shuni Dahiru as Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, replacing Shu’aibu Aliyu, who had earlier been redeployed to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund.

In addition, Gisaor Vincent Iorja was named Executive Director (Finance) of the Federal Housing Authority, replacing Mathias Byuan, who resigned to pursue the Benue State governorship.

The Presidency said all the appointments take effect immediately.

Tinubu hands major federal appointment to Fayose, names 25 others

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose as Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), alongside 25 other appointments into the boards and management of 10 federal government agencies and commissions.

The appointments, which take immediate effect, were announced in a statement on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the Presidency, the appointments are part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to strengthen leadership in key government institutions, improve service delivery and accelerate reforms across critical sectors of the economy.

As chairman of the REA Board, Fayose will work with Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta, who were appointed as members and non-executive directors. The board also comprises the agency’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and the three executive directors previously appointed to oversee the agency’s operations.

The Rural Electrification Agency is responsible for extending electricity to underserved and off-grid communities across Nigeria through renewable energy projects, mini-grids and other rural electrification programmes aimed at boosting economic development and improving access to reliable power.

President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Major General Junaid Bindawa (Rtd.) as Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC). Former member of the House of Representatives, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, was named Secretary of the commission.

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Also appointed as commissioners are Dr. Ogbole Ene Lilian (Benue), Oladele Olatubosun (Oyo), Yakubu Umar Barde (Kaduna), Dr. Mai Adamu Yau (Borno), Ginika Florence Tor (Enugu), Engineer Lawrence Okoh (Edo) and Bello Morenike Iyabode (Kogi).

In another appointment, Tosin Johnson Adeyanju, who had earlier been appointed Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF), was redeployed as Secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

The President also appointed Dr. Abuh Mohammed as Director-General of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Akinola Odeyemi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), and Dr. Anthony Inalegwu Godwin as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC).

Also named was Engineer Julius Oloro, a former local government chairman, who becomes the new Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM) in Kwara State. He succeeds Dr. A.R. Kamal, who died earlier this year.

President Tinubu further constituted a new board for the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), appointing Dr. Abdullahi Maikano Saidu as chairman. Other members of the board include Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Aliyu Makama, Dr. Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Idowu Onikola.

In the education sector, Shuni Muhammad Dahiru was appointed Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, replacing Professor Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, who was earlier reassigned to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

President Tinubu also appointed Gisaor Vincent Iorja as Executive Director (Finance) of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), replacing Mathias Byuan, who resigned to pursue his governorship ambition in Benue State. Iorja is an economist, legal scholar and currently serves as Secretary of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).

The latest appointments have attracted public attention, particularly the selection of Ayo Fayose, a prominent member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of Ekiti State, to chair the REA board. Political observers say the appointment reflects the administration’s willingness to appoint individuals from different political backgrounds into strategic public institutions.

The Presidency said all appointments take effect immediately as the Federal Government continues the reconstitution of boards and leadership of agencies to strengthen governance, improve institutional efficiency and support the implementation of key national development programmes.

Tinubu hands major federal appointment to Fayose, names 25 others

PFIPC occupied OSGF office since 2023, secured 314 staff positions — Walson-Jack

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has disclosed that the office occupied by the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) at the Phase III Federal Secretariat in Abuja is part of the office accommodation allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) since November 16, 2023.

Walson-Jack made the disclosure on Monday while testifying before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operations of the controversial council, which is currently under investigation over allegations that it operated without a valid legal foundation.

The committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, is probing how the council gained access to government facilities, participated in official processes and appeared in the 2026 federal budget, despite growing concerns about its legal status.

According to the Head of Service, all matters relating to the establishment, administration, supervision and operational oversight of the PFIPC fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other relevant government institutions, not the Office of the Head of the Civil Service.

She clarified that while the council occupied office space within the Federal Secretariat, the accommodation formed part of office allocations made to the OSGF through an official letter dated November 16, 2023, dispelling suggestions that the office was recently allocated.

Walson-Jack revealed that the PFIPC submitted an application on August 6, 2025, requesting approval for its organisational structure. She explained that the request was initially rejected because the council failed to provide the mandatory legal and supporting documents required for such approval.

However, after further engagements, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service approved an authorised establishment comprising 14 existing personnel and 300 additional positions, bringing the council’s total approved workforce to 314 positions.

She further disclosed that records from the Organisation Design and Development (ODD) Department showed that the approved establishment documents were collected by a representative of the council. She also confirmed that representatives of the PFIPC participated in the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence Exercise, where they defended the agency’s manpower projections before officials of the Organisation Design and Development Department.

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Following the bilateral defence sessions, the council’s request was included among the fourth batch of 88 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) whose manpower proposals received approval on July 18, 2025, by the then Permanent Secretary overseeing the Office of the Head of the Civil Service.

Despite the manpower approval, Walson-Jack stressed that her office never deployed civil servants to the PFIPC. She explained that recruitment and placement of personnel remain the responsibility of individual government agencies, while salary administration falls under the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC). She added that remuneration for political office holders and chief executives is determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

The Head of Service further disclosed that the council’s organisational approval was processed manually because the electronic document management platform was temporarily unavailable at the time. However, after the controversy surrounding the council became public, her office carried out further verification and discovered that the documents submitted by the organisation were fraudulent.

According to Walson-Jack, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service has since strengthened its internal verification procedures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. She also confirmed that two officials linked to the processing of the council’s documentation—Mrs. Patricia Akhigbe and Jacob Oluwafemi David—have been released to the Nigeria Police Force to assist ongoing investigations.

Also appearing before the committee, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed that it opened two foreign currency accounts for the PFIPC after receiving a request from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation dated July 29, 2025. Representing CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso, the Director of Banking Services, Hamisu Abdullahi, said the apex bank opened a US Dollar domiciliary account and a Pound Sterling account after carrying out standard verification procedures.

He, however, clarified that both accounts have remained completely inactive, with no deposits, withdrawals or financial transactions recorded since they were opened.

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), informed lawmakers that the anti-corruption agency has commenced a full investigation into the matter. According to him, investigators are collecting documents, interviewing relevant government officials and tracing the administrative processes that enabled the council to obtain official recognition. He requested additional time to present the commission’s preliminary findings to the House committee.

Declaring the investigative hearing open, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, represented by the Majority Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, said the investigation is intended to establish the facts rather than fuel speculation. He noted that questions surrounding the legal status, operational framework and budgetary appearance of the PFIPC have generated significant public concern.

The Speaker urged the committee to conduct its assignment fairly, objectively and strictly in line with the Constitution and available evidence. To broaden the investigation, the committee resolved to invite several top government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Ministers of Finance and Budget and Economic Planning, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Budget Office, and the heads of relevant federal agencies.

The hearing is expected to continue with additional testimonies as lawmakers seek to establish how the council secured office accommodation, manpower approvals and access to government processes despite questions over its legal status.

PFIPC occupied OSGF office since 2023, secured 314 staff positions — Walson-Jack