Jonathan fires Agwai as SURE-P chairman

Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.)
| credits: www.informationng.com

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday sacked Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.) as the Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, five days after the former Chief of Army Staff delivered the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 78th birthday lecture.

The President has named Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau as Agwai’s replacement.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President attributed Agwai’s sacking to the continuation of government’s efforts to continuously reposition Federal Government’s agencies for optimal delivery.

Agwai had, while delivering the Obasanjo lecture last Thursday, said change in the national leadership was inevitable and that the country’s leaders must accept it and move with it.

He had said, “In life, you find out that everything needs change, if that is what the community wants, what the people want, you must give it to them and as such, it becomes inevitable.

“You can have everything nice, but if you don’t have the right leadership to propel it, it cannot go anywhere. Integrity matters, doing what is good for the larger society, and not just what you want to do for a narrow society to please yourself.”

He titled the lecture, “Imperatives of a national security framework for the development and progress of Nigeria.”

Abati’s statement on Agwai’s sack read, “In furtherance of his efforts to continuously re-energise and reposition agencies of the Federal Government for optimal service delivery, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has appointed Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau as the new Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

“Mr. Akau, whose appointment takes immediate effect, replaces Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.), who served as chairman of the SURE-P until today (Tuesday).

“The new SURE-P chairman hails from the Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State and holds Bachelors’ Degrees in the Arts and Law.

“Mr. Akau comes to the job with years of experience as a high-level administrator in the nation’s public service. His record of service includes tenures as Chairman of the Kaduna State Universal Education Board and Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission.

“President Jonathan thanks the outgoing Chairman of SURE-P, Gen Agwai, for his service to the nation and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”

Jonathan had in February 2014 appointed Agwai to replace the pioneer SURE-P chairman, Chief Christopher Kolade, who resigned his appointment.

As the deputy chairman to Kolade, Agwai had acted as acting chairman before the President confirmed his appointment.

Meanwhile, the Forum of Chairmen of Subsidy Re-investment Programme in the 36 states of the country and Abuja, has said that Agwai did not represent its interest when he urged the Nigerian Army to stay away from politics.

Agwai had, while delivering the Obasanjo lecture in Abeokuta, noted that the military had found itself in a “strange” terrain.

The former COAS had said that the country might be troubled if the military participated in the nation’s political system.

But the Chairman of the forum and Edo State SURE-P Chairman, Mr. Lucky Imasuen, dismissed the call for change by Agwai, arguing that the change clamoured for already existed under the administration of Jonathan.

Imasuen, who was a former deputy governor of the state, claimed that Agwai’s comment caused unnecessary panic in the country, noting that the military had been a stabilising factor in the Nigeria’s political development.

He said, “He (Agwai) should be aware that soldiers are dying every day fighting insurgency. I know that the Nigerian military is having serious challenges dealing with insurgency.

“But they are doing their best and winning the war. I expect those in uniform and out of uniform to be careful of what they say.”