Mr. Festus Odimegwu, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Brewery has resigned as the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC).
A statement by Sam Nwaobasi, Media Assistant to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, said President has accepted the resignation.
“His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR has accepted the resignation of Eze Festus Odimegwu as Chairman of the National Population Commission with effect from Thursday, 17th of October, 2013.
“DR. Sam Ahaiwe, the Commissioner representing Abia State in the Commission, will act as chairman pending the appointment of a substantive Chairman,” a terse statement issued on Thursday reads.
It will be recalled that Governor Rabiu had called for Mr. Odimegwu’s removal as NPC chairman for rubbishing the 2006 census entirely, saying he was not qualify to conduct the 2016 census.
“We are not happy about that appointment and think that it was a mistake. Festus shouldn’t be there in the first place. He had only one thing and it is in the alcoholic industry, all his life.
“And my guess is that he’s taking a lot of his products and that is why we feel that his appointment is a mistake because he cannot be the chairman of NPC and at the same time be attacking what his predecessor had done.
“Even if it was wrong, he now has the good opportunity to correct. But instead of doing that, he has been running around to discredit the 2006 census. That means he is trying to kill that one.
“And in our own opinion, as long as he is there, he has already killed the 2016 census before it even started”.
The erstwhile NPC chairman would however not allow the attack from Governor Kwakwanso to go just like that as he fired back through the Commission’s chairman of Public Affairs Committee, Oluseyi Aderinokun-Olusanya, who said “the governor’s call for the sack of NPC chairman was diversionary, ill-advised and a reckless attempt to politicise the yet-to-be conducted 2016 census.”
This media attack on an elected Governor was said not to have gone than well with the President. Consequently, the Presidency issued Mr. Odimegwu a query for disrespecting a sitting state Governor.
