Nigeria News: Nominee Rejects Buhari's Offer as NERC Chairman

– Two other Nigerians had recently rejected the president’s offer that they should serve as the country’s diplomats 

– The reason given by Pauline Tallen, one of the former nominees, was the same argument reportedly given by the nominee for NERC. 

It is the third major blow for President Muhammadu Buhari within one weekas another Nigerian has rejected an offer from his government. This time, Professor Akintunde Akinwande has reportedly rejected an offer by the president to serve in the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) as chairman.

This was made obvious by Akinwande’s absence at the Senate session on Tuesday, October 25 when he and his other nominees were to be screened. 

The Nation quoted a source as saying Akinwande turned down the offer based on the alleged fact that he was not consulted before the nomination was made. 

Two other Nigerians, including Pauline Tallen from Plateau state had earlier rejected Buhari’s offer to be Nigeria’s diplomats based on the excuse that there were no adequate consultations.

In the case of Professor Akinwande, he was said to be the only one whose profile and credentials were missing among the seven nominees for the board of NERC. 

While Akinwande was to be the chairman, the other nominees for the board appointment included  Sanusi Garuba (vice chairman), Nathan R Shatti (commissioner), Dr. Moses Arigu (commissioner), Dafe C Akpeneye (commissioner), Prof Frank Okafor(commissioner) and Musiliu O Oseni(commissioner). 

While claiming that Akinwande was doing a project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the reported source added: “We also learnt that enough consultation was not made before the man was nominated. We were informed that the nominee may have turned down his nomination.” 

Following the absence of Akinwande, the chairman of the committee mandated to do the screening informed that the exercise would not continue adding that the board was very important for the boosting of power sector in the country. 

He said: “Regrettably, when members of the committee assembled to screen the nominees made by President Muhammadu Buhari, we were told that the chairman designate was unavoidably absent.

“The Presidential liaison who brought the nominees informed us that the chairman was unavoidably absent.” He noted that the board members were nominated three months ago and wondered why the presidency did not have the knowledge that any of the members would reject the offer. 

“We cannot screen them until we have a formal communication from the presidency,” he said.

Source: Naij