President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has through the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation asked Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, earlier directed to proceed on retirement, to continue as the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) till March 2025.
The President had on December 10 appointed and announced Mr. Shelmsudeen Babatunde Ogunjimi as the Acting Accountant General of the Federation in place of Madein.
But he had been prevented from entering the office as Mrs. Madein and her backers were insisting that the older civil servant must keep occupying the office until March 2025 retirement date.
However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the reversed order via the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
Director Press at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Bawa Mokwa said the AGF received a letter from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation asking Madein to continue as AGF.
Asked on the fate of Ogunjimi, who was appointed and announced by the President as Acting Accountant General, Mokwa stated that the letter “Did not say anything about his appointment.”
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga said: “His (Ogunjimi) appointment is effective immediately following the pre-retirement leave of the incumbent AG-F, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein.”
The confusion about succession started at the Office of the Account General of the Federation with the announcement of Mr. Ogunjimi as acting Accountant-General by President Tinubu barely a week ago.
Nigerian politician and Activist, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed raised allegations that Ogunjimi was not even the most qualified Director in line to take over as the Accountant General of the Federation.
She said: “In what has remained very curious, the Presidency in collaboration with the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, illegally appointed Ogunjimi Shamulsedeen, a Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as Acting Accountant General, after forcing Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein to go on retirement and bypassing two Northerners who were by law next in line to take over in acting capacity if the AGF is not available.
“A circular dated 3 September, 2024, had posted Shamuseldeen, a director in the OAGF, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. No circular had reposted him back to the OAGF and he is not the most senior to take over in the event the AGF is retiring or leaving. Danladi Comfort Zakowi, who is the current Director of Finance or Luka Joshua, Director of CAD Department, would have taken over in Acting Capacity. This didn’t happen.
“Another curious twist is that while Mrs Madein is only due to proceed on retirement leave in March 2025, Shamulsedeen has already resumed and has been using policemen to prevent Mrs. Madein from entering the office, confirming insinuation that someone in the Presidency is pushing Shamulsedeen to take over the OAGF.”
