After a long wait by Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for various ministerial positions were announced on Thursday, a day before the expiration of his 60-day constitutional deadline.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, presented the ministerial list to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio who the names on the floor of the Senate during plenary on Thursday.
The list, with 28 nominees, comprised of ex-governors, serving and former members of the Senate and House of Representatives, and presidential advisers, among others.
Twenty-five per cent of the nominees are women while 75 per cent are men.
The women are Betta Edu, the national women leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC; Hannatu Musa Musawa, the current special adviser on culture and entertainment to the President; Hon. Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejocha; a House of Representatives member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency of Abia State.
Others are Stella Okotete, the executive director of business development, Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank; Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, the only female presidential aspirant of the APC for the 2023 general election; Iman Suleiman Ibrahim, a former director-general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP; and Doris Aniche Uzoka, a former commissioner for finance and coordinating economy in Imo State.
Four former governors who made the list include Nasir El Rufai, ex-governor of Kaduna State; Abubakar Badaru, ex-governor of Jigawa State; David Umahi, ex-governor of Ebonyi State; and Nyesom Wike, ex-governor of Rivers State who is a member of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Former lawmakers on the list are Abubakar Momoh, Yusuf Tuggar and Ekperipe Ekpo (House of Representatives), and Abubakar Kyari, John Enoh and Sani Danladi (Senate).
President Tinubu also asked the senate to confirm three of his advisers as ministers: Dele Alake, the President’s special adviser on special duties, communications and strategy; Wale Edun, adviser on monetary policies; and Hannatu Musawa who advises the President on culture and entertainment.
There are three serving lawmakers on the list: Nkeriuka Onyejeocha, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and David Umahi. Umahi is a senator while Onyejeocha and Tunji-Ojo are members of the House of Representatives. With their nominations, the trio will have to relinquish their positions to take up the ministerial appointments. and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will conduct a new election to fill their seats.
According to geo-political zones, the North East had four nominees: Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi), Ali Pate (Bauchi), Abubakar Kyari (Borno) and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).
The North West got five slots: Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai (Kaduna), Ahmed Dangiwa (Katsina), Hannatu Musawa (Katsina) and Bello Muhammad Goronyo (Sokoto).
The North Central had four nominees: Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara), Muhammad Idris (Niger), Iman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa), and Joseph Utsev (Benue).
For the South West, there are Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo), Dele Alake (Ekiti), Olawale Edun (Ogun) and Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo).
The South South got six slots: Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Abubakar Momoh (Edo), Betta Edu (Cross River), Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom), Stella Okotette (Delta) and John Enoh (Cross River).
For the South East, there are Uche Nnaji (Enugu), Doris Aniche Uzoka (Imo), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Nkeiruka Onyejocha (Abia) and Uju Kennedy Ohanenye (Anambra).
In the nomination list, eleven states, namely Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Lagos, Plateau, Osun, Yobe and Zamfara have no representation.
The Nigerian constitution enjoins the president to ensure that at least one minister is appointed from each state of the federation to ensure that the federal character of Nigeria is reflected in the appointment of ministers.
On Thursday, the Senate President said that additional nominees would be sent to the Senate in due course.
The Senate will, on Monday, commence the screening of the minister-nominees.
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