The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has debunked a publication in the Sunday Punch that alleged that the Federal Government is setting up a panel to reconstitute the Boards of Parastatals in the country.
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), in a statement signed by Willie Bassey, Director of Information, stated that there is “no truth” in the story.
According to Akume, the Federal Government did not “set up any ad hoc committee as alleged to review the resumes of individuals who would fill such board appointments as stated in the said publication”.
Akume further advised media personnel to always “crosscheck” information directly with authorised persons “in order to avoid inaccurate reporting”.
The statement reads:
“The attention of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has been drawn to the publication in the Sunday Punch on Page 6, which reads: ‘FG sets up Panel to Reconstitute Boards of Parastatals’.
“The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, CON, wishes to state clearly that there is no truth in the story as published in the Sunday Punch.
“Neither has the government set up any ad hoc committee as alleged to review the resumes of individuals who would fill such board appointments as stated in the said publication.
“The visit of the two former Governors of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, and Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, to his office on Friday had nothing to do with such an ad hoc committee. It has everything to do with their recent appointment as ministers.
“Also, the reporter inaccurately quoted the Spokesperson of the OSGF as indicating that 14 agencies were stipulated to have been exempted. Whereas, the release in question at the time only received the President’s approval for two agencies: the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration, and Control (NAFDAC).
“In order to avoid inaccurate reporting, SGF admonishes media personnel to always cross-check information directly fromauthorizedd persons in his office rather than depending on some social media reports that may be inaccurate”.
