AGF

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi as the Acting Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).

His appointment is effective immediately following the pre-retirement leave of the incumbent AGF, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein.

In announcing Madein’s successor, President Tinubu ensures a seamless transition in the administration of Nigeria’s treasury and consolidates the implementation of the present administration’s treasury policy reforms.

As a career civil servant and the most senior director in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr Ogunjimi brings over 30 years of extensive experience in financial management across the public and private sectors.

He has held significant positions, including Director of Funds at the OAGF and Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A chartered accountant, certified fraud examiner, chartered stockbroker, and chartered security and investment specialist, Mr Ogunjimi’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Accountancy and a Master’s in Finance and Accounting.

In a remark on the appointment, President Tinubu expresses his confidence in Mr. Ogunjimi, saying, “The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is pivotal to our nation’s treasury management operations.

“Mr Ogunjimi’s wealth of experience and notable competence will ensure the continued effectiveness of this vital institution as we advance our economic reform agenda.”

President Tinubu commends the outgoing Accountant General of the Federation, Dr. Madein, for her dedication and selfless service to the nation.

After reaching the civil service’s statutory retirement age, Dr Madein is retiring effective March 7, 2025.

By Najeeb Maigatari

It is now almost eight months since Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenah Ibraheem, were discharged and acquitted by a Kaduna High Court of all the criminal charges levelled against them after spending almost six years in illegal detention. 

One would have thought that it would be a matter of days or a couple of months at most for the duo to jet out of the country to attend to their health that deteriorated during their stay in detention. 

When passing its judgment, the Kaduna High Court made it categorically clear that the couple were not only innocent and thus discharged and acquitted, but are also entitled to freedom like every other citizen as enshrined in the constitution of the country, including among others, the right to attend to their health in any place of their choice. 

But the Nigerian government, in a show of contempt to a court of competent jurisdiction, continued its systemic persecution of the ailing couple by withholding their travel documents to frustrate their quest for proper medical attention. 

The NIA, NIS, and DSS initially denied withholding the couple’s travel documents but later admitted they were lost. The office of the AGF went as far as claiming that the couple were not suffering from any life-threatening condition that warrants overseas treatment. When and how did the AGF become a diagnostician capable of tracing what ailments should be attended to in the country? 

It is worth noting that Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife are still suffering from various life-threatening health problems, as evidenced by a series of investigations results undertaken after their release from detention- at both public and private health facilities. 

The Sheikh’s lead and cadmium poisoning is the greatest concern, which is yet to be addressed, notwithstanding the dangerous serum level. The story is no different for his wife, Zeenah, who has been a wheelchair user for almost six years now. 

The couple has suffered enough. As a moral obligation, people of conscience, clergies and statesmen are pleased urged to demand that government allows the Sheikh and his wife to attend to their health. As the saying goes, injustice to one is an injustice to all. 

Najeeb Maigatari, Jigawa State, and can be reached via maigatari313@gmail.com.