President Buhari Orders VP Osinbajo To Consult Him Before Approving Any Agency

In a bid to take control of his government this second term, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed his vice, Yemi Osinbajo to, henceforth, seek presidential approvals before inaugurating agencies under his supervision.

TheCable who exposed the memo that contains the directive, noted that under the laws setting up the agencies, the president is empowered to give final approval, but the provisions were not followed during Buhari’s first term.

Currently, Osinbajo is the chairman of the governing boards of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA).

He is also the chairman of the board of directors of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), a limited liability company owned by the three tiers of government.

In addition, the vice-president chairs the National Economic Council (NEC), a constitutional body made up of state governors and key federal government officials, as well as the National Council on Privatisation (NCP).

On Monday, Buhari appointed and Economic Advisory Council (EAC) and disbanded the Economic Management Team led by Osinbajo.

With the new memo, Osinbajo will now have to seek approvals for contract awards, annual reports, annual accounts, power to borrow, and power to make regulations, among other key functions.

Sections 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 24 of the NEMA act provide that “funding, expenditure, contract awards and regulations” must receive presidential approval.

Sections 24, 25, 27, 28 and 33 of the NBC act empower the president to direct on annual reports, annual accounts, power to borrow and power to invest.

Under the BCDA law, the president also has similar powers.

“Suffice it to say the president has finally taken control of his government,” a minister said.