President Bola Tinubu, has sacked the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, from his position and appointed Aminu Maida as his successor. This decision was communicated through a statement issued by Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, which marked a significant reshuffling within the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
According to Ngelale’s statement, “President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to harnessing Nigeria’s well-established technological and digital economic capabilities to revitalize the nation’s economy with a focus on enhanced financial inclusion is behind these changes.” The President also introduced the appointment of Idris Alubankudi as the new Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy.
The removal of Danbatta took many ICT sector professionals by surprise, as he had been reappointed for a second five-year term in July 2020, leaving him with approximately two years remaining to complete his tenure. President Tinubu’s actions also extended to the termination of the appointment of the recently appointed MD/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, NIGCOMSAT, Tukur Mohammed Lawal.
Another agency affected by this reshuffle was the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), where the Postmaster General/CEO, Hon. Adepoju Adeyemi Sunday, was relieved of his duties, and Tola Odeyemi was named as the new Postmaster General/CEO.
However, not all changes involved removals; the President also renewed the appointments of the heads of certain agencies. This includes the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), whose DG/CEO, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, was asked to continue in his role. Additionally, Dr. Vincent Olatunji’s appointment as National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) was also renewed by the President.