A non-governmental organisation, the Concerned Citizens for Good Governance (CCGG) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for relieving Engr. Mustapha Maihaja of his duties as Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and replacing him with Air Vice Marshal Muhammadu Alhaji Muhammed (rtd).
A statement signed by its president, Adamu Bawa, in Abuja, Sunday said Maihaja’s sack was done in the interest of the country, noting that the high handedness and lack of capacity displayed by the former NEMA DG affected disaster management and emergency response in the country.
The statement added that series of controversies and allegations of corrupt practices levelled against him and some staff of the agency were a source of concern to Nigerians.
The statement said, “In 2018, the House of Representatives accused him of mismanaging resources as well as creating inefficiency that lead to the setting up of a committee to investigate the release of N5.9 billion food intervention in the North-east, also the N3.1 billion food intervention in the same region and the release of N1.6 billion for Libyan returnees.”
It said the release of N1.6 billion flood intervention for 16 states and donation of 6,779 metric tons of rice by the Chinese government were allegations made under Maihaja.
The statement said, “Government-owned air ambulance was grounded for many years without repairs and civil servants of the agency had at various times shut down operations, embarked on strikes and protests in confrontation of his inability to handle their personnel welfare and agency’s assets.”The NGO president while congratulating the new DG AVM Muhammedu Alhaji Muhammed, tasked him to be proactive in dealing with issues bordering on disaster management and emergency responses.
