Owotomobi
The Global Chairman Nigeria and Diaspora, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard, BATSV, Ambassador Dr. Dare Owotomobi has congratulated the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for appointing 555 people into various governing councils of federal universities and other tertiary institutions under the federal ministry of education.
Owotomobi however, in a press release on Tuesday signed by his Special Assistant on media,Jimmy Nanyak Lar decried the situation “whereby indigenes of Ekiti State were relegated to the back burner in the allocation of slots into these governing councils.”
He said that “with only four appointments out of 555 slots for Ekiti State, despite their contribution in the 2023 Presidential Elections is grossly inadequate and makes the reward system not encouraging at all.”
He for instance compared the slots given to other states “like Adamawa and Osun, that worked against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, during the election.” He went further to draw out the list Viz;
“32 Adamawa State indigenes appointed by President Tinubu as chairmen and members of governing council of different polytechnics, universities, colleges of education, etc.
1. Amb Kevin Peter
2. Sen. Binta Masi Garba
3. Hon Umar Duhu
4. Abdulrahman Yaji (Kakakin Mubi)
5. Danladi Chamba
6. Haj Fadimatu Nuhu Mohammed
7. Hon Titsi Ganama
8. Alh Ibrahim Bilal
9. Baba Galadima
10. Muniru Wambai
11. Sen M. Mana
12. HE Bala Ngilari
13. Dr J. Baba Kwaghe
14. Patience Charles Kwache.
15.HE Martin Babale
16. Sen. Abubakar Girei
17. Bar Zainab Marwa
18. Hon. Mijinyawa Kugama.
19. Joshua Atiku.
20. Julius Kadala
21. Sen. Grace Bent.
22. Bar. Danjuma Mohammed.
23. Sen. Silas Zeingina
24. Isa Jibir Grema
25. Abdulsalami Mohammed Bala
26. Umar Mohammed Jada.
27. Hammanjoda Faran.
28. Gidado Yusuf Ribadu
29. Engr. Bawuro Yahaya
30. Hon Wokeri Filibus
31 Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi
32. Barr Salihu dy lamurde”
He said the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, SAN, “ought to have gone through the list to ensure equity, fairplay and federal character are all considered in preparing the list rather than allowing Adamawa, a state that delivered PDP in 2023 presidential election to have the patronage it got, while states like Niger where APC got the highest votes in the 2023 Presidential election from North Central has only four (4) members on the list,
“Kwara State has 5 and Osun State 22. In Cross River State only six people were considered for the appointment.”
Ambassador Owotomobi said “if Prof. Tahir, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and experienced academician wanted to be fair to all states, he would have used Federal Character formula whereby each state would have gotten fifteen slots. But a situation whereby some states got more than three times what other states got is not acceptable.”
Secondly, Dr Owotomobi said that “Prof. Mamman Tahir ought to have known that there are gross violations of the Acts establishing most of these federal institutions. For example, most of these schools have no representation from the host communities, as stipulated by law, which is a gross violation of the extant laws establishing them. Section 2,(e) of the Federal Polytechnic Act 2019 provides as follows:
(2) The Council shall consist of a Chairman and the following other members, that is-
(a) one person to represent the universities;
(b)one person to represent the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria;
(c) one person to represent professional bodies whose disciplines are taught at the polytechnic;
(d) one person selected from a Federal or State public utility statutory corporation;
(e) one person of standing in the community where the polytechnic is situated;
(f) the Rector of the polytechnic;
(g) one representative of the Minister charged with responsibility for matters relating to polytechnics
(h) one representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry charged with responsibility for matters relating to industries;
(i) one representative of the academic board of the polytechnic;
(j) one representative of the State Commissioner of Education; and
(k) five other persons, at least one of whom shall be a woman, to be selected each on his merit based on his contribution to either the development of industry, technology, or commerce or special interest in technical education. While Section 3 (e) of the Federal Polytechnic Act 2019 provides that the governing council of a Federal Polytechnic must include one person of standing from the community where the community is situated.
“In the light of the foregoing therefore, the Global Chairman, Ambassador Dr Dare Owotomobi is calling on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to discontenance certain advice from a group of people that have constituted themselves into a cabal with a view to achieving personal gains rather than working for the success of the APC and the president.
“The Global Chairman therefore hereby calls on the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to direct the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman to withdraw the list and ensure each state allocated 15 slots. Similarly, other ministers that are yet to appoint chief executives and members of boards and parastatals under them should ensure there are equitible distribution of appointments.
“This, Ambassador Dare Owotomobi said, is the only way that will guarantee success for the Renewed Hope Mandate come 2027.’the statement said.