TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari has done it again — he has appointed yet another dead man into office.

Tobias Chukwuemeka Okwuru was named as a member of the board of the Federal Character Commission on Tuesday, two months after he passed on.

The deceased was appointed alongside 37 others.

In a letter sent to the senate on Tuesday, Buhari had sought the confirmation of the appointees.

However, while other board members will be looking forward to assuming office, Okwuru, the member-nominee for Ebonyi state, will continue to rest, having died on February 27.

The former member of the house of representatives who represented Ezza south/Ikwo federal constituency, TheCable gathered, passed away at the age of 59 after battling an unknown illness.

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, was among those who mourned him at the time.

The former majority leader of the state house of assembly hailed from Amudo in Ezza south local government area.

BUHARI’S RECORD OF POSTHUMOUS APPOINTMENTS

Interestingly, this is not the first dead person to be appointed into office under the Buhari administration. In fact, the president might have set a record of giving such honour to at least six persons, most of whom were appointed in 2017.

TheCable had reported how five deceased persons were appointed into various federal government agencies.

Among the late persons appointed at the time include Francis Okpozo, a senator in the second republic; Donald Ugbaja, a retired deputy inspector-general of police; and  Ahmed Bunza, sole administrator of Jega local government area of Kebbi state.

Others were Christopher Utov, a former proprietor of Fidei Polytechnic, Gboko; and Kabir Umar, a former emir of Katagum in Bauchi state.

Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, did not immediately respond to TheCable’s inquiry on the appointment of Okwuru.

It is usually the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) that vets appointments into government departments and agencies.