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

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.