Arsenal fan, ‘birthday boy’, long-standing appointee… DGs who lost their jobs on Monday

President Muhmmadu Buhari on Monday sacked 24 heads of government agencies and parastatals.

Here is a brief overview of the profiles of some of the sacked heads of agencies.

NAFDAC

National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a regulatory agency charged with safeguarding public health by ensuring that only the right quality food, drugs and regulated products are manufactured, exported, imported, advertised, sold and used.

Until the termination of his appointment on Monday, Paul Orhii (pictured) was director-general of the agency.

“Dr Paul Botwev Orhii obtained his degree in medicine from the Stavropol State Medical Institute, Russia in 1989 and has a Ph.D in Chrono-Neuropsychopharmacology. He is also a licensed Attorney and Counselor at Law,” his profile on NAFDAC website read.

“He has worked as a lecturer, teaching pharmacology to medical students at the University of Jos, Nigeria and, as a Biomedical Scientist, supervising work conducted by graduate students, research assistants and volunteers at the University of Texas, Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas.

“He has authored and co-authored several scientific publications and before his appointment, worked as a Pharmaceutical Litigator. Dr. Orhii was appointed Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on 13th January, 2009.”

BUREAU OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

Emeka Ezeh, until Monday, was the director-general of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). An engineer, Ezeh was born on February 16, 1958. His disengagement from the service comes a day before his birthday.

He was appointed in 2007, by the late former president, Umar Musa Yar’ adua.

According to information on the BPP website, the Public Procurement Act 2007 established the agency as the regulatory authority responsible for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement, harmonising the existing government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the legal framework and professional capacity for public procurement in Nigeria.

Under Ezeh, the BPP was voted the most outstanding regulatory agency in Nigeria in  2014-2015, following a multimedia poll conducted by the Independent Service Delivery Monitoring Group (ISDMG), a consortium of several civil society organisations in Nigeria.

BUREAU OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) is mandated to implement the privatisation and commercialisation policy of Nigeria.

Benjamin Dikki, who was appointed in November 2012 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, was director-general of the agency until his removal by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

He had served in several federal government committees, including the presidential taskforce on NITEL/MTEL labour restructuring, and the presidential committee on NIGCOMSAT.

Before his appointment in 2013, he served on the boards of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Limited, NICON Insurance Plc, and Nigerian Re-Insurance Plc.

He is an accountant by training.

PETROLEUM PRICING REGULATORY AGENCY

The Petroleum Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPRA) was established by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in June 2003 mainly to re-position Nigeria’s downstream oil sub-sector for improved efficiency and transparency.

Ahmed Farouk, who hails from Sokoto state, was the executive secretary of the agency until his disengagement from the agency on Monday.

He was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014. Before his appointment, he was managing director of Nidas Marine Limited, a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He worked in the oil and gas sector for more than 29 years.

He replaced Reginald Stanley, who headed the agency from 2011 to 2014.

STANDARDS ORGANISATION OF NIGERIA

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), a regulatory agency, primarily ensures that both local and foreign products in the country meet the best standards.

Joseph Odumodu was its immediate past director-general (DG).

Odumodu has a first-class degree in pharmacy from Obafemi Awolowo University and a master of science (M.SC) degree in pharmacology.

In November 2008, he was awarded a doctorate in administration (DBA) by the Anambra State University, Uli. He also received the national merit award of member of the federal republic (MFR) in 2008.

In 1986, he joined May & Baker Nigeria Plc as a medical marketing manager, and later rose to the position of managing director/chief executive in 1997.

He was appointed DG of SON by former President Goodluck Jonathan on February 1, 2011. He was born in Kano to a family from Awka south local government area of Anambra state.

BANK OF INDUSTRY

The Bank of Industry Limited (BOI) is one of Nigeria’s oldest and largest development financing institution. Rasheed Olaoluwa, a first-class civil engineering graduate, was the managing director/chief executive of the bank.

“Before joining UBA in 2006, Olaoluwa has had an illustrious working career that saw him through Arthur Andersen and in the banking industry, various senior roles in marketing and relationship management, treasury management, currency trading and investment banking, culminating in his appointment as the managing director/chief executive officer of the erstwhile Universal Trust Bank Plc,” his profile on the BOI website read.

He was appointed in May 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In an interview with Thisday newspaper in June 2015, Olaoluwa declared that he was a fan of Arsenal football club.

“I am a gunner and I have been supporting Arsenal since 1995 even before Arsene Wenger was hired as a coach,” he said. “I see people when they say they are supporting Chelsea but I tell them that the blues became relevant some 10 years ago. twenty years ago, Chelsea was not even in the premier league.”