Ripples in presidency over delayed AGF appointment

President Miuhammadu Buhari

Delay in appointing the next Auditor General of the Federation (AGF) might be causing ripples at the presidency.
Top sources at the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) said the presidency would have since disclosed its choice for the top accounting job but for conflicting names making the rounds in the media; names quite different from the ones shortlisted by the FCSC and office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The sources said the names in the media were not authentic. They said that the FCSC chairman, Joan Ajao, in a letter dated August 5, 2016, Ref. No: FCSC/CHN/RAG/023/1/124 to the SGF, had recommended “three names: Anthony Mkpe Ayine, Bitrus Bako Nabasu and Ismail Ajao Adeleye.”
 The SGF had also forwarded the recommendation of the FCSC chairman to Buhari in a letter – No: SGF 12/S.16/1/675 dated August 16, 2016. Both letters were in line with Section 86, sub section 1, of the constitution, which states: “The AGF shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the FCSC, subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
According to a source at the Commission, “It was a big shock to see strange names published in The Guardian of October 31 as persons shortlisted by the FCSC. Of the three names, only one, Bitrus Baka Nabasu, is among the authentic three submitted by the FCSC. The other two are not, though they participated in the interview. We suspect foul play or name padding by some officials in the presidency. We call on the President to investigate the matter, to avoid any embarrassment it might cause.”
Based on the publication, “we suspect names shortlisted by the commission might have been tempered with in the presidency. This is corruption. We are calling on prosecutors and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to look into the matter. The president is a disciplined and upright man who is fighting corruption; hence he should not be misled into acting contrary to the constitution.”
The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Okoi Obono Obla, said: “I don’t know about this story. I only know that government, in the interest of accountability and transparency, decided that some positions in the public service that are considered sensitive and strategic should be advertised, to give room for competition, and having of the best hands, rather than relying on political patronage.”
The Guardian (October 31) had written that the Federal Government’s plan to borrow $29.960 billion from external sources might be stalled due to institutional lapses arising from delay in announcing who becomes AGF, three months after interviews had been conducted and names shortlisted to the presidency through the FCSC.

Source: The Guardian