Fayose, Bindawa lead Tinubu’s 26 new appointments into government agencies

Michael Olumide Alabi

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of 26 individuals to the boards and leadership of 10 federal government agencies and commissions, naming former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Major General Junaid Bindawa as Chairman of the National Salary and Wages Commission.

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

According to the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, among the prominent appointments is former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, who was named Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). He will lead the agency’s board alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta, who were appointed as members and non-executive directors. The board also includes the incumbent Director-General of the agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three previously appointed executive directors.

President Tinubu also approved the constitution of the National Salary and Wages Commission, appointing Major General Junaid Bindawa as Chairman.
Former House of Representatives member, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, was named Secretary of the Commission, while Dr. Ogbole Ene Lilian, Oladele Olatubosun and Yakubu Umar Barde were appointed as commissioners representing Benue, Oyo and Kaduna States respectively.

Other members of the commission include Dr. Mai Adamu Yau from Borno State, Ginika Florence Tor from Enugu, Engineer Lawrence Okoh from Edo State and Bello Morenike Iyabode from Kogi State.

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

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

Engineer Julius Oloro, a former local government council chairman, was named the new Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), based in Kwara State. He succeeds Dr. A.R. Kamal, who passed away in January.

President Tinubu also inaugurated the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, appointing Dr. Abdullahi Maikano Saidu as Chairman.

Other members of the commission are 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 reassigned to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) in April.

The President also approved the appointment of Gisaor Vincent Iorja as Executive Director (Finance) of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), replacing Mathias Byuan, who resigned to pursue the Benue State governorship election.

Iorja is an economist, legal scholar and academic who currently serves as Secretary of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).

According to the Presidency, all the appointments take immediate effect and are expected to strengthen governance, improve institutional efficiency and enhance service delivery across the affected agencies and commissions.

Social commentator and businessman, Isaac Fayose, has alleged that the recent federal appointment reportedly offered to his elder brother, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, was politically motivated and intended to weaken his family’s perceived association with Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.

Speaking in a video that has circulated on social media, Isaac Fayose described the appointment as a “Greek gift,” claiming it came shortly after Peter Obi paid him a visit.

According to him, the timing of the appointment raises questions about the motive behind the decision.

“They didn’t make my brother a minister or an ambassador. They only offered him the chairmanship of a parastatal. Why didn’t they give him the appointment before Peter Obi came to visit me?” he asked.

Isaac argued that his brother had long maintained that after leaving office as governor, he would not seek or accept another political appointment, preferring instead to concentrate on his private business ventures.

“My brother told me that once he left Government House, he would not become a minister, senator, Director-General or anything else. He said he would focus on his business, and he has been successful in private business for many years,” he said.

He further alleged that the appointment was designed to create the impression that the Fayose family had been drawn into the camp of President Bola Tinubu’s administration following Peter Obi’s visit.

“This appointment is a Greek gift. They want to use it to counter us politically. They waited until Obi visited before making the offer,” Isaac stated.

He also suggested that the position allegedly offered to his brother did not reflect the former governor’s political stature, arguing that others with less political experience had been appointed ambassadors or given more prominent positions.

Isaac maintained that if his brother accepts the appointment, it would be his personal decision, but insisted that he believes Ayodele Fayose is “too big” for such a role.

Commenting on Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the next general election, Isaac expressed confidence that the opposition could secure victory if the electoral process is transparent.

He claimed that many Nigerians desire political change but remain concerned about the credibility of future elections.

As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official response from Ayodele Fayose or the Presidency regarding Isaac Fayose’s remarks.