President Bola Tinubu has appointed a former Lagos lawmaker, Mojisolaoluwa Kehinde Alli-Macaulay, as the Executive Director (Operations) of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund.
Mrs Alli-Macaulay who represented Amuwo Odofin 1 in Lagos at the time was exposed for diverting COVID-19 palliatives meant to alleviate the suffering of poor masses during the COVID-19 lockdown and rebranding the palliatives as her birthday souvenirs in 2020.
A petition by Mrs Alli-Macaulay’s constituents called for her recall on grounds of poor constituency representation and theft of palliatives meant for the masses during the pandemic.
Four year later, Mrs Alli-Macaulay, who hails from the same state with Mr Tinubu, is being rewarded with an appointment as chief executive of a federal government agency, a troubling pattern of rewarding controversial individuals within public positions.
The latest development brought to the fore another controversial appointment of ex-Kebbi State governor Atiku Bagudu, an ally of the late despot, Sani Abacha, as minister of budget and planning by the Tinubu-led government.
Last April, the U.S. government expressed concerns that Mr Tinubu was perpetuating the pervasive corruption of his predecessors through such appointments.
Mrs Alli-Macaulay’s appointment has sparked criticisms of Mr Tinubu’s government, raising questions about the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.