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Buhari’s Ministerial List Can’t Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges -PDP …As Senate Screens 43 Ministerial Nominees, Today
The Peoples Democratic Party, yesterday, described the list of ministerial nominees released by President Muhammadu Buhari as colourless and inspiring no hope in Nigerians.
In a statement issued via its verified Twitter handle, the party said, the list showed the regard in which the President and his All Progressives Congress hold Nigerians.
It said, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list presented to the Senate today is colourless, stagnant, uninspiring and do not convey any sense of hope or purposeful governance under the APC.
“The party says that to the chagrin and utter disappointment of Nigerians, the list is replete with incompetent individuals who failed in their erstwhile ministerial assignments and left their ministries in a shambles.
“Indeed, such a ministerial list can only come from a leadership that does not have mandate of the people. It is a complete waste of time and cannot fulfil the expectation of Nigerians.
“The list has further shown President Buhari and APC‘s insensitivity and disdain for Nigerians and it does not in any way reflect their hope and eagerness for a better Nigeria.
“Furthermore, in recycling failed yesterday’s men for today’s assignment, President Buhari and the APC have left no one in doubt that they have no vision to move our nation out of the economic and security predicaments into which they have plunged us in the last four years.
“A committed and responsive leadership would have widely consulted with Nigerians before compiling a ministerial list, given the current situation in the country.
“If, indeed, President Buhari and the APC mean well for Nigerians and are interested in revamping our critical sectors, they would not have ended up with a list of those who will help conceal the huge corruption in the Buhari administration in the last four years, as well as those who will assist in channeling funds to individuals and groups used by the APC to rig the 2019 presidential election.
“Strangely, the list has no space for the youths demography, those to whom the future is said to belong.
“The PDP holds that with this development, it is clear that the only way our nation can come out of our present economic and security quandary lies in the retrieval of Atiku’s stolen Presidential mandate at the tribunal,” the statement ended.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday announced names of 12 former ministers who worked with him in his first term for reappointment.
They are Babatunde Fashola (Lagos State), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State) Hadi Sirika (Katsina State), Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna State), Lai Mohammed (Kwara State) Chris Ngige (Anambra State), Adamu Adamu (Bauchi State), Abubakar Malami (Jigawa State), Godfrey Onyeama (Enugu State), Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi State) , Osagie Enahire (Edo State), Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa State), and Mohameed Bello (Adamawa State).
Some of the former ministers not reappointed are Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia State), Udoma Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom State), Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa State), Audu Ogbeh (Benue State) and Usani Uguru (Cross River State).
Others are Ibe Kachikwu (Delta State), Anthony Anwuka (Imo State ), Stephen Ochani (Kogi State), Abdulrahaman Dambazau (Kano State), Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger State), Cladius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo State) Isaac Adewole (Osun State ), Adebayo Shittu (Oyo State ), Solomon Dalong (Plateau State), Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto State ) and Mansur Dan Ali (Zamfara State).
Meanwhile, Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said that the screening and confirmation of the nominees would begin, today.
He added that other legislative activities in the chamber would take back seat to ensure the speedy completion of the important assignment.
Lawan said this after reeling out the list of the ministerial nominees on the floor of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, yesterday.
“The screening of the ministerial nominees will commence tomorrow morning,” he said.
“All other legislative activities will take back stage for this very important national assignment.”
President Muhammadu Buhari sent 43 ministerial nominees for confirmation.
Seven former governors and senators each are among the 43 ministerial nominees whose names were sent to the Senate for screening and confirmation, yesterday.
The seven former governors include Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti), George Akume (Benue), Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Timipre Slyva (Bayelsa) and Babatunde Fasola (Lagos).
However, the ex-governors are not likely to enjoy same privileges with the former lawmakers during the screening exercise.
In the tradition of the Senate, the seven former lawmakers would be asked to take a bow and avoid all the questions and answers that normally characterise the exercise as a mark of respect.
Also, the Senate has announced the postponement of its annual recess by one week.
This, it said, was to enable members screen the ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Chairman, Senate ad hoc committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, stated this while addressing reporters yesterday.
Our correspondent reported earlier that Buhari on Tuesday submitted the names of 43 nominees to the Red Chamber for confirmation hearing.
The Senate’s annual recess was initially billed to start tomorrow.
Adeyeye disclosed that the “Senate would start the screening on Wednesday”.
According to the lawmaker, since the exercise would be thorough, “the Senate would suspend its rules to sit beyond 2pm and conduct plenary on Mondays and Fridays until all the nominees have been successfully grilled”.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a Federal Executive Council committee to move swiftly on measures to further reduce food prices across the country.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this in Abuja, on Wednesday.
According to him, the directive focuses on ensuring safe passage of farm produce across transport routes to cut logistics costs.
“The President has given a matching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it on how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” Abdullahi said at a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
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Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has faced worsening food insecurity since the removal of fuel subsidy, high transport costs, and insecurity on major highways disrupted the movement of goods.
Despite government interventions, food remains largely unaffordable for millions.
The minister said the plan is tied to Tinubu’s broader vision of food sovereignty—beyond availability to ensure affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
To back this up, he revealed that government is set to roll out a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to boost productivity and a revamped cooperative reform initiative to mobilise resources and empower rural farmers.
“Mr. President has shown tremendous interest in the cooperative sector as a veritable tool for resource mobilisation, for economic activity generation, and to improve the livelihood of members,” Abdullahi added.
The event, with the theme, “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities,” also featured Senate Media Committee Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; ex-presidential aide, Senator Ita Solomon Enang; and NILDS DG, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman.
The Federal Government has warned contractors, including foreign firms, that any breach of regulations in road projects awarded to them may lead to arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the warning during an inspection of the ongoing dualisation of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction in Rivers State.
The section is being executed by Reynolds Construction Company (Nigeria) Limited.
Responding to questions from journalists, Umahi commended the quality of work on the project but expressed displeasure over the slow pace, stressing that the December completion deadline remains sacrosanct.
On the project, he said:“The quality of the work is excellent, but the pace of work is totally unacceptable. Let me make it very clear to the contractor that this project will neither be reviewed nor varied in price or claims.
“I’m sure we have issued over 10 warning letters to them. If they fail to comply with the completion deadline of December 15, we will not extend it.”
He added that the ministry had already put measures in place to enforce compliance
“The comptroller has negative certificates to issue, and I will recover the money from any of their other projects. All those letters are on record, and when the time comes, they will be invoked. Any contractor who refuses to abide by regulations will have the EFCC and ICPC to contend with,” he said.
Umahi further disclosed that the Federal Government had directed that road projects valued below N20bn would no longer be awarded to expatriate companies, in line with its “Nigeria First” policy aimed at strengthening indigenous capacity in the construction sector.
“This is part of the Nigeria First policy of the Federal Government. Henceforth, no expatriate firm will be awarded any project valued below N20bn. Such projects must go to indigenous companies, while expatriates focus on higher-value projects requiring more technical capacity,” he said.
The minister also noted that the Federal Ministry of Works had adopted a funding prioritisation framework to sustain road projects initially financed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.
He stressed that President Bola Tinubu had directed that none of such projects should be abandoned, adding that priority would be given to critical economic corridors.
Umahi also decried the indiscriminate parking of heavy-duty vehicles on highways, saying it was damaging the pavements of completed sections of the road.
He said letters would be sent to state governors and the Inspector-General of Police to enforce punitive measures against defaulters.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Rivers State, Mrs Enwereama Tarilade, said RCC had completed 15km of the right carriageway and commenced work on the left carriageway, with one kilometre already laid in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement.
The Rivers State Government says it will ensure the smooth and successful takeoff of the newly established Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET), in Ogoniland.
This commitment was made yesterday by the Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), during a courtesy visit by the university’s Governing Council and Management team at the Government House, in Port Harcourt.
The high-level delegation was led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Professor Don Baridam and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Mmom.
In his address, Administrator Ibas warmly congratulated the pioneer council and management on their appointments, describing their task as both a recognition of individual accomplishment and a historic call to duty.
“This is not just a recognition of your personal achievements but also a call to history to shape an institution that will have a profound impact on Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and indeed our country,” he stated.
The Administrator commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment of the specialized university in Ogoniland, describing the initiative as “timely and strategic.”
He emphasized that the university’s presence offers a critical opportunity to drive research, innovation, and community-focused solutions to the region’s pressing environmental and developmental challenges.
He further noted that the university’s core focus aligns perfectly with the priorities of his administration.“We consider this university not merely as another institution of higher learning but as a strategic partner in our collective effort to rebuild Rivers State under the ongoing state of emergency and beyond,” he affirmed.
Responding to specific requests presented by the delegation, Administrator Ibas assured the university of immediate support in critical areas essential for the its commencement.
These include the provision of operational vehicles, key facilities, and the completion of the access road to the campus, adding that other vital needs, such as perimeter fencing, refuse disposal, and the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, would be addressed within the framework of the state’s broader infrastructure and support programmes.
To ensure swift action, the Administrator directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to work closely with the university’s Governing Council to prioritize the sequence of requests, particularly those tied to the commencement of academic activities in September 2025.
“Let me assure you that Rivers State Government will stand as a dependable partner to the Federal University of Environment and Technology. We see this university as part of our long-term investment in knowledge, innovation, and the future of our youths,” he emphasized.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Don Baridam, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and community development.
He disclosed that the Federal Government has directed the institution to formally commence its academic session in September 2025, adding that preparations are in full swing to ensure a smooth take-off with adequate infrastructure and resources in place.
“Today’s meeting marks the beginning of a strategic partnership between the Rivers State Government and FUET, envisioned to establish the university as a premier hub for research, innovation, and sustainable development in the Niger Delta”, he said.
