The president of Nigeria has replaced the currently disgraced Ahmed Idris and placed Mr. Anamekwe Chukwunyere Nwabuoku in his stead as the new Accountant-General of the nation. Aliyu Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning announced the new appointment in a letter signed by him on Friday. Also confirming the appointment was the former aide of the president, Bashir Ahmed, who made a post on Twitter affirming Nwabuoku’s new position.
It might be recalled that the former Accountant-General was suspended last week by the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, and promptly arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly spiriting away funds totaling up to N80 billion. In a statement made on Twitter, Mr. Ahmed said that Nwabuoku’s appointment was a temporary one at the moment as they wait for the outcome of the EFCC’s investigations of Ahmed Idris.
Other persons have received the news with rather different feelings as reflected in the person of Dr. Socrates Ebo, the Chairperson of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University Otueke, Bayelsa State Chapter who said that the arrest and detention of Ahmed Idris was a vindication of the union’s animosity towards the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
According to him, the Union had always known the system was merely a convenient backdoor used by certain persons to spirit away monies meant for payment of workers’ salaries. He said that arrest had simply exposed Nigerians to what ASUU had always known.
