Eleven states of the federation will have to wait as President Bola Tinubu forwarded a list of 28 ministerial nominees through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila to the Senate for screening and confirmation, yesterday.
The constitution requires that at least a minister comes from each of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The states that have to wait are Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Plateau, Lagos, Osun, Yobe, and Zamfara. President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday received the long-awaited ministerial list from President Bola Tinubu, thereby putting an end to weeks of anxiety and speculations about who would make the list. Tinubu’s ministerial list is dominated by former governors, ex-senators, House of Representatives members and strong political allies believed to have worked for his victory at the polls.
The number of names sent was 28, with no state of origin attached and with a promise that more names would follow soon, as Adamawa, Kogi, Lagos, Anambra and Bayelsa states are missing on the list.
Those on the list include Abubakar Momoh (Edo); Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi); Ahmad Dangiwa (Katsina); Hannatu Musawa (Katsina); Uche Nnaji (Enugu); Betta Edu (Cross River); Doris Uzoka (Imo); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (Rivers); and Muhammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).
Others are Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Ekperipe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom); Nkeiruka Onyejocha (Abia); Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo); Stella Okotete (Delta); Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye (Anambra); Bello Muhammad Goronyo (Sokoto); Dele Alake (Ekiti); and Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara). Also on the list are Mohammad Idris (Niger); Olawale Edun (Ogun); Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo); Imman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa); Ali Pate (Bauchi); Joseph Utsev (Benue); Abubakar Kyari (Borno); John Enoh (Cross River); and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).
The list was delivered by the former speaker, House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajiabiamila, who entered the hallowed chamber at 1.18pm and delivered the letter, in consonance with Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution.
Minutes after emerging from a closed door session which started at 12.18pm, the Senate did what had not been done before, invoking section 1(a), 1(b) and section 12 of its standing rules to admit Gbajabiamila into the chamber to deliver the much-awaited communication from the President.
The letter which was addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, made it the first time a Chief of Staff would come personally to the chamber to present any executive communication directly to the president of the Senate. The list, however, managed to get to the Upper Chamber a few hours to the expiration of the constitutional deadline that mandates the President to forward the names of those he wants to hire into his cabinet to the senate for vetting and approval within 60 days after his inauguration.
Soon after receiving the list from the former speaker, the President of the Senate immediately unveiled it to senators who had also waited with bathed breathe for the executive communications.
Dominating the ministerial list are former governors, including that of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, his counterpart from Rivers, Nyesom Wike, a card-carrying member of main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Also on the list are the immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru; former governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who is currently the Deputy Majority in the Senate.
Tinubu’s list is also significantly dominated by former National Assembly members, mostly senators.
On the list is the current acting National Chairman of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who represented Borno North in the 8th and 9th Senate.
Also on the list is Senator John Enoh, who represented Cross River Central in the 8th Senate and Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi who was former acting governor and deputy governor of Taraba State.
However, Danladi was impeached by Taraba State House of Assembly on September 4, 2012, and replaced by Alhaji Umar Garba as deputy governor, who later became the acting governor of the state after the air crash that claimed the life of former Danbaba Suntai.
On the list are former Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Nkiru Onyejiocha, who represented Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi federal constituency, Abia State; Olubunmi Tunji Ojo,who represented Akoko North East/ North West federal constituency, Ondo State.
He was the chairman, House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC; Abubakar Momoh, a two-time member of the House of Representatives who represented Etsako federal constituency, Edo State, and Ekperikpe Ekpo, who represented Abak federal constituency from 2007 and 2011 from Akwa Ibom State. A former All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, made the list.
Former Executive Director, NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotete, from Delta State, and the Special Adviser to the President on Communication, Strategy and Special Duties, Dele Alake, from Ekiti State also made the list.
Alake is a close ally of President Tinubu. Former Commissioner in Lagos, Wale Edu, from Ogun
A surprise package on the ministerial list is the Publisher of Blue Print Newspapers, Mohammed Idris, from Niger State.
One of the lead counsels in Tinubu’s case at the election petition tribunal, Lateef Fagbemi, from Kwara State, and Accord Party’s governorship candidate in Oyo State, Waheed Adebayo Adelabu, also made the list.
Also on the list is Professor Joseph Utsev, a very close ally of Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, and the Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, Akume’s hometown in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State. Meanwhile, the Senate has suspended its annual long recess that would have commenced yesterday to begin the screening of the ministerial nominees next Monday.
Addressing journalists yesterday after plenary, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, APC, Ekiti South, vowed that senators would be thorough in the screening, as they would dwell more on the experience, character, personality and background of the nominees.
According to him, there will be no take a bow and go, except when there are no questions.
Senator Adaramodu said: “This time, screening will be very thorough.
‘’It is not going to be a situation where the screening will be anyhow. We are going to know the background of the nominees and we are not going to disappoint Nigerians.
“All the dry bones, physically and socially, must rise. It is not going to be a shallow screening. You must have the character, you must have the face, you must have the behavior to be among the cabin crew that is going to fly Nigeria.
“This time around, Nigeria is going to be better. Whoever gets to the floor of the Senate will be screened; we will not manufacture any question.”
Why Tinubu didn’t attach portfolios to ministerial nominees list —Presidency
Meanwhile, fielding questions from State House correspondents after submitting the list, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said President Bola Tinubu did not attach portfolios to the names of ministerial nominees because he wants to have the opportunity of looking at the character of the nominees during screening in order to know which ministry to place them.
He explained why it would have been the best idea to attach portfolios to the names, it might cause problems if the President changed his mind after they had been screened.
Gbajabiamila also said the list of ministerial nominees comprised of technocrats and politicians for balance, stressing that they were eminently qualified to make the list.
He also hinted that the President might separate portfolios or restructure ministries in such a way that new ministries not in existence before might emerge.
Asked why portfolios were not attached, he said: “Yes, I mean for me that would have been one way to go about it. It would have been a welcome development. As good as that sounds, it straightjackets the President to pigeonhole one person in an office or the other.
“What happens then if you change your mind? Do you then bring the person back for screening again, because the President is at liberty to change his mind?
“For instance, if I decide I want somebody as Minister of Labour, and then after setting the name, later on, I decide that, you know what, I didn’t know this about this person, this person would actually be better with another portfolio.
“Meanwhile, the Senate has screened that person for that particular, initial portfolio, what happens then? Do you now rescreen the person?
“So, a lot of these things have their merits and demerits, advantages and disadvantages. I like the idea of attaching portfolios, I actually do, because it makes it necessary for the Senate to know exactly what you’re asking and what you’re looking for.
“But for now, it’s been thought wise that we stick to the tradition of sending the names and then whilst the screening processes are going on, the Mr. President and his team would have the opportunity to look at the portfolios and the characters and see how they fit.
“The first step he has taken is that these are people that can work wherever you put them, except this specialized fields, such as attorney general and what have you.
“But in the main, in most of the portfolios, he believes most of them can fit in anywhere. And what’s important is also the fact that Mr. President intends to separate portfolios or restructure the ministries in such a way you might be hearing of new ministries that were not standalone ministries before. So the process continues.”
The Chief of Staff observed that the nominees had a good balance as, according to him, President Tinubu took his time to assess them.
He added: “Well, first of all, I mean, I’m sure you all know that the government is not fully formed until a cabinet is in place. And that process started a while ago, culminating in the delivery of ministerial nominees today (yesterday).
“The President took his time, spent a lot of time going through, did a lot of due diligence, going through the nominees one by one.
“As you know, he had 60 days from the time of inauguration, as stipulated in the Constitution. He has fulfilled that requirement of the Constitution by submitting 28 names today (yesterday).
“As his letter stated, and was read on the floor of the Senate, the remaining names, not sure how many, probably about 12, maybe 13, will be forwarded to the Senate in the coming days.
“As far as the nominees themselves are concerned, and like I said, Mr. President took his time to sift through those names. He dissected those names with a fine tooth comb. And that’s what you’ve seen. Each and everyone, I believe, is worth being on that list.
“But I hope we haven’t missed anything that would have necessitated any name not being on that list. But we wait and see. It’s a good mix of both people with political acumen and technocrats.
“So, this is a good balance and it is needed. These are people who have keyed into the vision and mission of Mr. President. As I said, it’s a good balance needed to move the country forward, as Mr. President is eager to do and has already started doing.”
Gbajabiamila expressed confidence that in the next few weeks, the new ministers would hit the ground running, hinting that they would even begin work in some ways before their clearance and inauguration.
“Well, as I said, it’s a process. And we’re in the middle of the process now. As far as Mr. President is concerned, he has his cabinet. I’m sure there will be those who will be working behind the scenes, giving him advice, you know, even before confirmation in anticipation of confirmation, because there’s no time to waste, not a day. Every day is important to this government.
“So, I mean, they may not start fully officially until they are confirmed, but I’m sure they will continue to contribute advice here and there to Mr. President.
“Even I, before I fully assumed officially my office as the Chief of Staff, I was doing some skeletal work and advice to Mr. President as his presumptive chief of staff.
“Work should start in earnest for them in the next week or two because I don’t see the Senate wasting too much time in the confirmation, not because they’re not going to do a thorough job, they will do a thorough job.
‘’But they will balance it with the knowledge that in this time that we are in, time is of the essence.”
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