Some directors and other officials of federal government-owned establishments and parastatals have commended the chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, over his recent visit to some of the agencies, saying there was nothing wrong with the action.
Gbajabiamila had reportedly visited key government establishments recently, including the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASEI).
Others included the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON).
The former speaker of the House of Representatives’ tour of the agencies has become controversial, with a section of the media accusing him of hijacking the oversight duty of the National Assembly.
However, a director at NEMA who spoke with our correspondent praised Gbajabiamila for sparing time to visit the agency as it was a good move.
The bureaucrat, who does not want to be mentioned, said: “I think the chief of staff should be applauded for taking time to be here. We are all working to make progress in Nigeria.
“If his coming to see us will make us do better, we should commend him. I don’t understand the wasted energy to discuss an unimportant issue. Does the chief of staff visit stop the National Assembly from doing their oversight?”
Also, a top official of NAHCON supported Gbajabiamila’s visit, adding that it was an opportunity for the commission to interact with the former speaker.
“Everyone was excited at his visit. As a commission, many things have been said about us, particularly concerning the last Hajj exercise. So, to have a top government functionary around for a brief interface was in order,” the official told our correspondent in confidence.
Similarly, a senior management staff member at NASEI has called for legislative and executive arms of government to work together to pursue the Renewed Hope Agenda of the federal government.
Speaking under condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the parastatal, the official warned against the deliberate attempt to pitch the executive against the legislative arm of government.
“What I deduced from the report I read is a ploy to set one arm of government against the other. How does the visit of the Chief of Staff translate to an oversight function?
“I will advise the Senate and House of Representatives to remain focused and diligent in their duty to the nation. No development is possible in an atmosphere of hostility,” he stressed.
