With just a few weeks to the expiration of his tenure, President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi as the new chairman of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Obi, who served two terms as governor of Anambra State on the ticket of the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA), had defected to President Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a move that critics saw as a betrayal of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Obi’s appointment was announced today to newsmen by the Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati.
Dr. Abati also announced the removal of Dr. Femi Thomas as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and quickly replaced with Olufemi A. Akingbade as acting Chief Executive.
The outgoing President also approved the confirmation of Mounir Haliru Gwarzo as Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Mr. Gwarzo, who has been acting as Director-General of the Commission, was appointed to the Board of the Securities and Exchange Commission as Executive Commissioner in January, 2013,” Abati said. [myad]
