Nigeria President Dissolves Boards, Agencies in Major Shake-Up

President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate dissolution of the governing boards of all federal government parastatals, agencies, institutions, and government-owned companies.

The dissolution means that until new boards are appointed, the president will in addition to his normal role, handle pressing issues that ideally would have been the responsibility of the boards. There are strong indications that the sizes and number of the institutions may shrink further, with the merger of key revenue-generating agencies on the cards.

President Bola Tinubu's directive to dissolve the apex decision-making organs of the establishments falls within the ambit "of his Constitutional Powers and in the Public interest," a statement said.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC) have been exempted from Tinubu's order. This exemption was announced by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The statement did not provide reasons for the exemption of the two agencies.

However, the dissolution order affects several health agencies, teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, and specialist hospitals. The affected agencies are required to send matters requiring board approval directly to the president through their respective permanent secretaries, until new boards are constituted.