Dissolution Order: Health Ministry’s Agencies, Parastatals Affected By Tinubu’s Directive

On Monday night, President Bola Tinubu summarily dissolved the governing boards of all federal government parastatals, agencies, institutions, and government-owned companies.

The statement, which was signed by the Director of Information, Willie Bassey, however, gave exceptions to the President’s order.

“The dissolution does not, however, affect Boards, Commissions, and Councils listed in the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended,” the statement noted.

But the exemption is not extended to any of the agencies and parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Health as stipulated by the section of the constitution quoted in the statement.

Affected hospitals
Some of the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Health that are affected by the president’s order are the governing boards of about 20 teaching hospitals including the National Hospital, Abuja, where the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Olubunmi Etteh, functioned as the board chairman until the announcement on Monday night.

Also affected are the governing boards of about 21 federal medical centres (FMCs) and the Federal Staff Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Like the FMCs are also some specialist hospitals including three federal government-owned orthopaedic hospitals located in Lagos, Enugu and Kano states; eight neuro-psychiatric hospitals, and the National Eye, and National Ear Care Centres which are both located in Kaduna.

Affected agencies
Meanwhile, the agencies under the ministry that are affected by the new directive are: National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN).

Others are the National Agency for the Control of AIDs (NACA) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

In order to ensure a smooth operation of the hospitals without the chief executive officers flouting the rules of engagement, the president has mandated that all actions that had hitherto been presented before the governing boards for approvals should be sent to his office.

Mr Tinubu also directed the heads of affected parastatals to do this through their respective permanent secretaries in their ministries.

“In view of this development and until such a time new boards are constituted, the Chief Executive Officers of the Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions, and Government-Owned Companies are directed to refer matters requiring the attention of their Boards to the President, through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory ministries and offices,” the statement said.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that only 14 institutions of the federal government are exempted from the dissolution order.
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