Just In: Buhari Fires JAMB Registrar, 16 Other Chief Executives

The Federal Government has announced the sacking of Chief Executives of 17 parastatals and agencies under the Ministry of Education.

The government’s announcement was contained in a statement issued on Monday night by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations in the Education Ministry, Ben Bem Goong.

Four Chief Executives whose tenures were yet to elapse were however retained, while others including the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, Prof Dibu Ojerinde were relieved of their appointments.

The statement said the appointments were with immediate effect, precisely from Monday, August 01, 2016.

The 17 agencies affected in the mass sack and the new Chief Executives appointed included the National Universities Commission, Prof Abubakar Adamu Rasheed; Nigerian Institute for Education Planning and Administration, Prof, Mrs. Lilian Salami; Universal Basic Education, Dr. Hameed Bobboyi and National Library of Nigeria, Prof. Lanre Aina.

Others are National Examinations Council, Prof Charles Uwakwe; National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Prof Abba Aladu and Nomadic Education Commission, Prof Bashir Usman.

Also appointed are National Business and Technical Examinations Board, Prof Isioma Isiugo-Abanihe; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Prof Sunday Josiah Ajiboye; Computer Registration Council of Nigeria, Afolabi Aderinto and National Commission for Colleges of Education, Prof Bappah Aliyu.

The new appointees also included Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa; National Teachers Institute, Prof Garba Dahuwa Azare; Librarian Registration Council of Nigeria, Prof Michael Afolabi; and National Mathematical Centre, Prof Steven Ejugwu Onah.

The Secretary-General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, Prof Ishaq Oloyede has been named Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB, while the National Institute of Nigerian Languages has Prof Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche as its CEO.

Those retained included the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council, Prof. Samaila Junaidu; Nigerian French Language C\Village, Prof Rauf Adebisi; National Board for Technical Education, Dr. Mas’ud Kazaure and National Arabic Language Village, Prof. Muhammad Mu’az.

The new appointees are expected to report at the office of the Education Minister on Tuesday, August 02, 2016 by 12:00 noon for inauguration.

Ojerinde ran into trouble with the Minister following the way he handled the ongoing 2016 admission into universities and other tertiary institutions.

On Sunday, he withdrew the list of recommended candidates for admission earlier sent to universities and other tertiary institutions.

The announcement was contained in a statement by the spokesperson for JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin.

According to him, the decision was to ensure that universities perform their statutory responsibility of selecting candidates and referring them to JAMB for confirmation.

This, JAMB stated, should be done in consonance with the admission criteria of merit, catchment area and educationally disadvantaged states as directed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, during the policy committee meeting.

Benjamin said the earlier list was sent to help fast-track the process of admission so as to allow other tiers of tertiary institutions conduct their admission for the 2016/2017 academic session.

“Candidates should not panic because this is part of the process of the 2016 admission exercise. JAMB regrets any inconvenience this decision would have caused the tertiary institutions,” he stated.