Boards of NAFDAC, NDLEA exempted from Tinubu’s dissolution order

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC) have been added to list of agencies exempted from President Bola Tinubu’s order dissolving boards of federal government parastatals, agencies and institutions.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey.

“Further to the directive on the dissolution of Boards of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions and Government-owned Companies, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has clarified that the Boards of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC) are exempted from such dissolution.”

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that 14 federal government institutions are exempted from the dissolution order given by Mr Tinubu on Monday.

The dissolution also does not affect Boards, Commissions and Councils listed in the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

The statement, however, did not give reasons for the exemption of the two new additional agencies.

Affected health agencies

The agencies under the health ministry that are affected by the new directive are the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN).

Hospitals not exempted

Also affected are the governing boards of about 20 teaching hospitals including the National Hospital, Abuja, where the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Olubunmi Etteh, functioned as the board chairman until the announcement on Monday night.

Also affected are the governing boards of about 21 federal medical centres (FMCs) and the Federal Staff Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Also affected are the specialist hospitals including three federal government-owned orthopaedic hospitals, eight neuro-psychiatric hospitals, and the National Eye, and National Ear Care Centres which are both located in Kaduna.

Going forward

The president said all actions that had hitherto been presented before the governing boards for approvals should be sent to his office.

Mr Tinubu also directed the heads of affected parastatals to do this through their respective permanent secretaries in their ministries.

“In view of this development and until such a time new boards are constituted, the Chief Executive Officers of the Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions, and Government-Owned Companies are directed to refer matters requiring the attention of their Boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory ministries and offices,” the statement said.