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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
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.