Dead Senator among Buhari’s new board appointees

Dead Senator among Buhari’s new board appointees

Saturday, December 30, 2017 8:09 am


The late Okpozo

Senator Francis Okpozo, who was announced as chairman of the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) in the over a thousand board appointments of President Muhammadu Buhari made public yesterday has been dead for over a year now.

This is one of the initial revelations as Nigerians began poring over the list of newly appointed 209 board chairmen and 1,258 members of government-owned agencies and parastatals announced by the presidency on late Friday.

The late Okpozo, a chieftain of the Delta State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC died in Benin, Edo State in December 2016 at the age of 81

While pointing out the mistake, Sunday Areh,  media aide to former Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, said in a Facebook post:  “Over one year after his death, President Buhari appoints Senator Francis Okpozo as Chairman, Nigeria Press Council,” Areh wrote in a Facebook post on Friday night.

The irony was that the President, through his spokesperson, Femi Adesina sent a condolence message to the family in a statement after the death of the Senator in 2016.

Buhari, had in the message said he “hopes that all who mourn Senator Okpozo will carry forward his legacy of unwavering dedication to the unity of Nigeria, even as the nation would fondly remember his contributions to peace, development and justice in the Niger Delta.”

Other members of the Board of NPC, an agency under the Federal Ministry of Information include Wale Okuniyi, Idi Farouk, Alhaji Jamila Shebaba and Alhaji Sani Saidu.


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