SGF Speaks On Disowning Reappointment Of NBRDA DG

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has dismissed media reports of distancing himself from the reappointment of Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha.

Naijaonpoint reports that Mustapha was recently reappointed as Director-General of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), a move falsely linked to controversy involving Akume.

However, the Director of Information in the SGF’s office, Segun Imohioson, while addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, clarified that Mustapha was misquoted as saying the SGF dissociated himself from the tenure extension, noting that the professor’s initial term ended on Oct. 27, 2024.

Imohioson stated that President Bola Tinubu had approved Mustapha’s reappointment for a final five-year term, effective from Oct. 31, 2024, and that the SGF properly signed the appointment letter.

He emphasised that such appointments were made solely at the discretion of the President, not the SGF.

He said, “I want to set the record straight. At no point did I speak to any reporter or pressman about the SGF not being aware of Prof. Mustapha’s appointment.

“The SGF’s office only processes relevant documents as the Cabinet Secretariat of the Presidency.

“The decision to reappoint rests entirely with the President.

“So, the man has been appointed for a second term. The reappointment runs from Oct. 31, 2024, to 2029.”