President Bola Tinubu has indefinitely suspended the Managing Director/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, following what the Presidency described as “a fraudulent mis-expenditure amounting to over N1.2 billion over the past two years, some of which has already been recovered by anti-graft agencies”.
According to a statement on Thursday by his spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu also ordered a wider investigation into the conduct of the officials “in a fraudulent mis-expenditure amounting to over N1.2 billion over the past two years, some of which has already been recovered by anti-graft agencies”.
Three executive directors of the agency were also placed on suspension in the light of what the government described as “new findings unearthed during a comprehensive investigation into the financial activities” of the agency.
The executive directors are: Olaniyi Alaba Netufo (Corporate Services), Barka Sajou (Technical Services) and Sa’adatu Balgore (Rural Electrification Fund – REF).
Ngelale said that the President made appointments in acting capacity in the agency. They are: Abba Abubakar Aliyu (Managing Director/CEO), Ayoade Gboyega (Executive Director, Corporate Services), Umar Abdullahi Umar (Executive Director, Technical Services), Doris Uboh (Executive Director, REF) and Olufemi Akinyelure (Head of Project Management Unit, Nigeria Electrification Project).
“President Bola Tinubu expects all appointees in his administration to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties and reiterates his determination to elevate the yearnings of Nigerians for good governance and qualitative service delivery above the narrow interests of individuals who are entrusted to provide critical services to the Nigerian people”, the statement further read.
