Members of the Board of Directors of Public Corporations are appointed by the

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks who has the power to appoint the members of the Board of Directors of a public corporation (e.g., NNPC, NEPA/PHCN, Nigerian Ports Authority).

Step 2: Explain the concept Public corporations are government-owned enterprises set up by an Act of the National Assembly or a decree/edict. Each is supervised by a parent ministry. The usual structure is:

• Board of Directors: formulates policy and oversees the corporation. It is appointed by the government through the supervising minister.
• Chief Executive / General Manager / Managing Director: runs day-to-day affairs and is answerable to the board.

So the chief executive and general manager are appointees or members of the management, not the people who appoint the board. A special adviser only gives advice and has no appointing power over boards.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Chief executive officer: he is subordinate to the board, so he cannot appoint it. ✗
• B. General manager: this is a management position and not an appointing authority. ✗
• C. Minister: the supervising minister appoints board members, usually with the approval of the government. ✔
• D. President: he can formally approve appointments to major boards, but the standard textbook answer in this context is the supervising minister. The question is asking about the usual practice.
• E. Special adviser: advisory role only. ✗

Step 4: Identify the answer The standard answer is C. Minister.

One note: in practice, appointments to the boards of major federal corporations are often approved by the President, so D is not absurd.

Exam tip: Remember the chain: Minister → appoints the Board → Board oversees the Chief Executive/General Manager. If a question asks who supervises or controls a public corporation, think "the parent ministry/minister."