Buhari’s nominee for NERC chairman reportedly turns down offer, says he wasn't consulted

President Buhari's nominee for chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Prof. Akintunde Akinwande, has reportedly turned down his nomination. Akinwande who was billed to appear before the senate for screening and confirmation yesterday, failed to show up.

A source who spoke to the Nation said Akinwande turned down the nomination “because he was not consulted before the nomination was made”.

The source added that he was currently working on a project at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US and is not likely to take a break from the project. Akinwande was the only nominee absent at the screening of nominees for the board of the NERC.

“We also learnt that enough consultation was not made before the man was nominated. We were informed that the nominee may have turned down his nomination,” the source said. Addressing the press after the suspension of the screening exercise, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said there was no way the senate can conduct any screening without that of the chairman-designate.

“Regrettably, when members of the committee assembled to screen the nominees made by President Muhammadu Buhari, we were told that the chairman designate was unavoidably absent. The Presidential liaison who brought the nominees informed us that the chairman was unavoidably absent. The commission is vital and cannot function without a chairman. We cannot screen them until we have a formal communication from the Presidency”. Other nominees for the board appointment included Sanusi Garuba (Vice Chairman), Nathan R. Shatti (commissioner), Dr. Moses Arigu (commissioner), Dafe C. Akpeneye (commissioner), Prof. Frank Okafor(commissioner) and Musiliu O. Oseni(commissioner).