President Bola Tinubu has sworn in two more commissioners of the National Population Commission.
Mr. Fasuwa Johnson and Dr. Amid Tadese Raheem from Ogun and Osun States respectively took the oath of office at 12:15 pm at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, after their abridged citations were read.
Monday’s ceremony comes three months after Tinubu, on February 13, asked the senate to confirm Raheem as a commissioner of the NPC. The Senate also confirmed Johnson on March 6.
On November 8, 2023, Tinubu had appointed 20 federal commissioners in the NPC with nine of them reappointed for a second term in office. He swore 17 of them into office on March 14.
Johnson was born in 1973 in Ododeyo, in the Ijebu North East area of Ogun State, where he had his primary and secondary education.
He holds a Master of Science in Geography in 2004 and a Master in Business Administration in 2009 from the University of Ibadan and Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, respectively.
He was elected as a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly in 2019 representing Ijebu North East till June 2023 during which he was the Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure among other positions.
Raheem was born on December 12, 1964, in Iwo, Osun State.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Public Administration from the same university.
He had served as Commissioner for Water Resources & Energy in Osun State and was elected member of the Osun State House of Assembly, becoming its first Chief Whip in 1992.
Until his nomination, Raheem was the Head of the Department of Public Administration at Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State.
After the swearing-in ceremony, the council observed a minute of silence in honour of two deceased former cabinet members, Prof. Fabian Osuji and Prof. Ogbonnaya Onu.
Osuji, 82, who died on February 28, 2024, served as Minister of Education from July 2003 to March 2005 in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Onu, the first civilian governor of Abia State (Jan. 1992 – Nov. 1993), served as minister of science, technology, and innovation in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He died on April 11, 2024, at 72 years.
Afterwards, the Tinubu-led Federal Executive Council moved into a closed session; it’s 11th meeting since its inauguration on August 28, 2023,On October 16, 2023, the Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, explained that the council will meet only when it has memoranda to consider.
“The President has approved that Federal Executive Council meetings will now be happening on Mondays, as opposed to the traditional Wednesdays that we are used to.
“So FEC meetings have been moved to Mondays. Of course that does not mean that it has to happen every week.
“If there are no issues to discuss, it will be skipped to next week,” Idris explained.
