Political appointees in the Presidential Villa are scrambling for lucrative positions in core ministries and agencies of government, Heritage Times has gathered.
It was learnt that the political appointees are mostly those with little or zero professional experience or proper jobs to return to after the expiration of their appointments.
Heritage Times further gathered that the foresight of these political appointees, towards the end of their tenure, is to secure fall back jobs, drawing huge remuneration to maintain already acquired expensive lifestyles.
Sources said many of these appointees being in the corridors of power, especially in the Presidency, ‘villa boys’ wield the power of the President to approach the head of Federal ministries and agencies to demand jobs.
It was explained that although Federal Civil Service rules require an employee work for a two year period before postings, the prerequisite is ignored and exemptions are given to ‘Villa Boys.’
After securing these appointments, they are sent back to the Presidential Villa to continue their ‘special assignment’ until the tenure of their political masters expires.
On Monday, Peoples Gazzette published that President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed his junior media aide Bashir Ahmad to supervise a powerful and lucrative division at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) — a role that supersedes his work experience and area of expertise.
Mr. Ahmad, 29, has served as personal assistant to Buhari on new media since 2016.
Despite still retaining his presidency appointment, he recently hustled his way in as the head of the newly-established National Production Monitoring System (NPMS) of DPR – Nigeria’s preeminent oil and gas sector regulator.
A source told Heritage Times that the report is yet to be confirmed.
It was explained that opportunities are created for such calibre of individuals because they are not expected to return to entry-level jobs after serving in a high-level position assisting the President.
Bashir Ahmed has since denied the report on his Twitter handle.
He posted earlier on Monday that: “A friend sent me a link to a concocted story from an online news blog that the President has quietly appointed me as a manager of the DPR, a department of Ministry of Petroleum Resources, for those who want to know the truth, the story is 100% FALSE. I am not a staff of the DPR.”
