BREAKING: Tinubu Suspends REA Boss, Ahmad Appoints Abba Abubakar As New CEO 

BREAKING: Tinubu Suspends REA Boss, Ahmad Appoints Abba Abubakar As New CEO 

President Bola Tinubu has suspended Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), along with three other executive directors of the agency.

He has also appointed a new team of five individuals to lead the management of the REA, with Abba Abubakar Aliyu assuming the role of Managing Director and CEO.

In a statement released on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu explained that his decision was based on the findings of an investigation into an alleged ₦1.2 billion fraud in the agency’s financial transactions.

The statement highlighted that while the anti-corruption agency overseeing the investigation had already recovered some of the purportedly misappropriated funds, the President has instructed a wider inquiry into the matter.

The three other executive directors of the REA who have been suspended alongside Salihijo Ahmad are: Olaniyi Alaba Netufo, the Executive Director of Corporate Services; Barka Sajou, the Executive Director of Technical Services; and Sa’adatu Balgore, the Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Fund (REF).

The interim management team will now consist of Ayoade Gboyega as the Executive Director of Corporate Services; Umar Abdullahi Umar as the Executive Director of Technical Services; Doris Uboh as the Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Fund (REF); and Olufemi Akinyelure as the Head of the Project Management Unit for the Nigeria Electrification Project.

The statement reads: “In the light of new findings unearthed during a comprehensive investigation into the financial activities of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), President Bola Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension of the Managing Director/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, alongside three Executive Directors of the Agency, from office:

“Olaniyi Alaba Netufo — Executive Director, Corporate Services; Barka Sajou — Executive Director, Technical Services; and Sa’adatu Balgore — Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF)

“Furthermore, President Tinubu has ordered a wider investigation into the conduct of the aforementioned officials in a fraudulent misexpenditure amounting to over N1.2 billion over the past two years, some of which has already been recovered by anti-graft agencies.

“By the directive of the President, the following qualified Nigerians are appointed to serve in the new management team of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in acting capacity with immediate effect:

Abba Abubakar Aliyu — Managing Director/CEO; Ayoade Gboyega — Executive Director, Corporate Services; Umar Abdullahi Umar — Executive Director, Technical Services; Doris Uboh — Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF); Olufemi Akinyelure — Head of Project Management Unit, Nigeria Electrification Project.

“President Bola Tinubu expects all appointees in his administration to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties and reiterates his determination to elevate the yearnings of Nigerians for good governance and qualitative service delivery above the narrow interests of individuals who are entrusted to provide critical services to the Nigerian people.”