Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has accepted the resignation of the Managing Director of Rural Electricity Agency (REA) Damilola Ogunbiyi, effective from December 31, 2019, to enable her take up her new United Nations appointment.
On the President’s official handle @NGRPresident, the presidency said: “President @MBuhari has directed that the suspension of Mrs Damilola Ogunbiyi from her role as Managing Director of @realREANigeria, be reversed.
“Her resignation effective 31 December 2019 has been accepted to enable her take up her new @UN appointment.”
Ogunbiyi was suspended on 31st December 2019 over alleged malpractices in the agency. Minister of Power, Sale Mamman had announced the decision.
The Special Assistant to the Minister of Power, Aaron Artimas, had in a statement described the former bosses of REA, NBET, Damilola Ogunbiyi and Marilyn Amobi respectively, as members of a cabal accused of infractions but ‘untouchable’. He alleged that they were part of a group of people sabotaging the power sector.
According to the minister’s aide, Ogunbiyi and Amobi had resisted the reorganisation of the sector by the Minister of Power.
Artimas, further alleged that they were holding the ministry by the jugular, as they released a publication that claimed the ministry was failing under the minister.
“They were “denying Nigerians the full value of their huge investments in the power sector. As early as November last year, this cabal began to sponsor insidious reports using some faceless groups in Lagos, claiming that ‘the Ministry of Power was failing under the new minister.
“It is the same ‘untouchables’ who want to perpetuate themselves in power that are now resisting any form of reorganisation meant to reposition the ministry for optimum performance,” the statement read in parts.