From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the appointments. The 53-year-old Babangida, an alumnus of the European University in Montreux, Switzerland, where he earned degrees in Business Administration and Public Relations and Business Communication, also completed an executive programme on corporate governance at Harvard Business School in 2002. His appointment was approved alongside seven others, who will serve as chairmen or directors-general of key government institutions.

Among those appointed are Lydia Musa from Kaduna State; chairman of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA); Jamilu Aliyu of Kano State; chairman of the National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), and Yahuza Inuwa, also from Kano State, as chairman of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

Sanusi Musa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria from Kano, was named chairman of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR).

In addition, Al-Mustapha Aliyu of Sokoto State will serve as director-general of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), while Sanusi Garba Rikiji from Zamfara State takes over as director-general of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

Tomi Somefun of Oyo State has been appointed managing director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), and Abdulmumini Aminu-Zaria of Kaduna State will be the executive director of the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC).