PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mandate Secretaries for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Director of Press, Office of the FCT Minister Anthony Ogunleye disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, September 5.
According to the statement, Bitrus L. Garki was appointed Secretary, Area Council Services Secretariat; Lawan Kolo Geidam, Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat; Danlami Ihayyo, Secretary, Education, and Adedolapo A. Fasawe Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat.
Others are Salman Dako, Secretary, Legal Services Secretariat; Chinedum Elechi, Secretary, Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and PPP; Uboku Tom Nyah, Secretary, Transportation Secretariat; and Muntari Abdulkadir, Secretary, Social Development Secretariat.
“The swearing-in-ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 12th of September 2023 at the International Conference Center, Abuja at 12 noon prompt,” the statement read.
Mandate Secretaries in the FCT are the equivalent of Commissioners in states.
Under the previous administration, the appointment of Mandate Secretaries had come two years after the ex-FCT Minister Mohammed Bello was sworn in.
Bello appointed most senior officers in the secretariats to serve in acting capacity for about two years, a delay condemned by critics who believed that the challenges that plagued the FCT at the time were largely due to the absence of Mandate Secretaries to supervise major departments.
Some of the challenges under the previous administration include a rising spate of insecurity, deterioration of infrastructure and improper waste management.
In his first term as Minister, Bello did not appoint Mandat Secretaries until almost a year after his appointment.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.