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Wike, El-Rufai, Umahi, Seven Women Make Tinubu’s Ministerial List
The immediate past governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, and three other former governors made the list of ministerial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu for Senate confirmation, yesterday.
The three other former governors are Nasir El-Rufai, Muhammed Abubakar Badar and David Umahi of Kaduna, Jigawa and Ebonyi States, respectively,
The list also has eight lawmakers, including serving ones, former ministers, ambassadors and technocrats.
The President beat the July 29 deadline for submission of the ministerial list as stipulated by the constitution as amended by the ninth Assembly.
Tinubu, according to the 1999 Constitution, as amended by the Ninth Senate, has barely two days left out of the 60 days deadline stipulated for the President to unveil his cabinet members.
Section 42 of the constitution states that “(a) the nomination of any person to the office of a Minister for confirmation by the Senate shall be done within sixty days after the date the President has taken the oath of office;
“(b) not less than ten per cent of persons appointed as Ministers shall be women:
“Provided that the President may appoint a Minister at any other time during his tenure and such appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
The piece of legislation further prescribes that the President shall appoint at least a minister from each of the 36 states of the federation.
The Tide reports that contrary to the 37 names being circulated in the social media and ones published by some media organisations (not The Tide), yesterday, only 28 names made the first list of the ministerial nominees.
The authentic list read at the Senate plenary yesterday by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, also include a renown economist, Olawale Edun; a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Waheed Adebayo Adelabu; a legal luminary, Latef Fagbemi, SAN; Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, Senator John Eno.
Other prominent names who made the list include the President’s Special Adviser on Media, Strategy and Special Duties, Dele Alake; former Minister of Health under Goodluck Jonathan who recently rejected an international job, Prof. Ali Pate and Professor Joseph Utsev.
Also on the list is the women leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Betta Edu and five other women which include Hon. Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Hon. Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, Stella Okotette, Dorris Aniche Uzoka and Mrs Iman Suleiman Ibrahim.
Other nominees include the National Deputy Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abubakar Kyari; Rt. Hon. Ekperipe Ekpo, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, Chief Uche Nnaji and Abubakar Momoh.
The rest are Ambassador Yusuf Miatama Tukur, Arch. Ahmed Dangiwa, Barr. Hannatu Musawa, Mr. Bello Muhammad G. and Mr. Muhammad Idris.
The letter which contained the ministerial list was personally handed over to the Senate President by the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, during the Senate plenary at exactly 1.20pm.
Gbajabiamila’s entry into the Senate plenary session followed a point of order and motion by the Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti APC), that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives be allowed to join the plenary to deliver an important message from President Tinubu. The motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Mwadkwon Davou (Plateau North, PDP)
The list did not, however, contain the portfolios of the nominees.
The Tide reports that it was the first time the COS to a President would personally deliver a ministerial list to the Chambers and during plenary session.
President Tinubu’s letter read in part, “In compliance to the provision of Section 147 sub-section 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I am pleased to forward to Senate for confirmation the underlisted 28 ministerial nominees.
“While hoping that the additional nominations will be sent in due course, I hope that the aforementioned nominees will receive the expeditious consideration and confirmation of the Senate.
“Please accept Distinguished Senate President and Senators the assurance of my highest regard.”
Akpabio, after reading out the letter from the President to the Senators, referred the list to the Committee of the Whole House for appropriate legislative action.
There have been agitations over the ministerial list particularly due to Tinubu’s long silence over the list.
A number of Nigerians have expressed concern and worry over the delayed formation of the President’s cabinet particularly because Tinubu had, after his election, promised Nigerians that he would hit the ground running.
He had also promised credible governance with competent people occupying various positions across the sphere of execution.
In a statement on March 16, Tinubu said he would set up a “government of national competence.
“There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance.”
The delay in announcing the cabinet ministers had also led to the emergence of several lists of ministers, which the government itself disowned.
Briefing the Press after plenary, the Senate’s Spokesman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), disclosed that the Senate would convene screening on Monday in an extraordinary session.
Senator Adaramola said that the Senate was poised to have a thorough screening session to ensure that only nominees fit for the offices are confirmed.
Responding to questions on what will become of nominees with pending allegations of corruption, he stressed that only those qualified in character, experience, expertise and capacity will scale through the Senate screening and be confirmed.
The Senate spokesperson explained that the Senate shifted its annual break which usually commence in July to ensure they give Nigerians the new ministers, adding that the Senate was ready to sit for as many days as it takes to thoroughly screen the nominees .
He added that the usual “bow and go” will only be obtainable where all Senators accept a nominee as fit and competent.
By: Boye Salau & Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.