President Goodluck Jonathan has removed the chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd) from office.

This came barely five days after Agwai had said that leadership change was inevitable in Nigeria and that the country’s leaders must accept it and move with it.

Speaking last Thursday at the 78th birthday anniversary celebration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta.

Agwai had also cautioned the military to stay out of partisan politics if they must win the war against Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges.

Agwai was appointed substantive chairman of the SURE-P on February 6, 2014.

Jonathan on Tuesday replaced Agwai with Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau whose appointment, according to the presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, takes immediate effect.

Abati said, in a statement, that this was in furtherance of Jonathan’s efforts to continuously re-energise and re-position agencies of the Federal Government for optimal service delivery.

Abati said: “Mr. Akau, whose appointment takes immediate effect, replaces Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rtd.) who served as chairman of the SURE-P until today. The new SURE-P chairman hails from Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State and holds Bachelors’ Degrees in the Arts and Law.

“Mr. Akau comes to the job with years of experience as a high-level administrator in the nation’s public service. His record of service includes tenures as Chairman of the Kaduna State Universal Education Board and Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission”.

The presidential aide said Jonathan thanked outgoing SURE-P chairman, Agwai, for his service to the nation and wished him well in his future endeavours.