APC Forced Buhari To Sack NTA Boss?

President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the heads of the six information-related parastatals under the Ministry of Information and Culture.

The mass sack comes about a month after it was reported that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were unhappy with Buhari for failing to sack officials who had been appointed by his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.

The affected officials are the Directors-General of NTA, Sola Omole; FRCN, Ladan Salihu; VON, Sam Worlu; NOA, Mike Omeri; NBC, Emeka Mba and the Managing Director of NAN, Ima Niboro

“The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the disengagement during a meeting he held with the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA),” a statement released by the ministry today, February 15, 2016, read.

An APC chieftain had told Punch in January that Buhari ought to “reward” APC members with positions which were still being occupied by Jonathan’s supporters.

“President Buhari took over on May 29, 2015 and has not rewarded APC members. Most of the heads of departments and agencies are members of the PDP who worked for Jonathan,” the APC chieftain said in a report which was published on January 14.

“For example, Onyeka Onwenu is still the Director-General of the National Women Centre while Mike Omeri is still the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency.

“A former Special Adviser to Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, is still the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria while Mr. Sola Omole is still the Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority.

“There are almost 100 ambassadorial positions that are supposed to have been filled but these people are still occupying the offices. We are not asking for security or sensitive positions but all these appointments I mentioned are not statutory but merely political.

“Our people who worked so hard and spent money on Buhari’s campaign are languishing. There are many competent people in the APC,” he added.

Omeri, Niboro and Omole, who were named by the anonymous APC chieftain, and the three other dismissed parastatal heads, have been instructed to hand over to the most senior officials in their various establishments.