Tinubu Assigns Portfolios To Wike, 44 Others …To Swear In Ministers, Monday

President Bola Tinubu will next Monday swear in 45 ministers he assigned portfolios on Wednesday night.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, disclosed this in a statement late Wednesday in Abuja.
The event is billed to hold at the State House Conference Centre, Aso villa in Abuja by 10 am.
A statement by the Director, Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, said the ministers are allowed to come with two guests each.
The statement also contained the 45 ministers and their portfolios.
While the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, was assigned to the Federal Capital Territory ((FCT) as minister, his Ebonyi State counterpart, David Umahi, was made Minister of Works, and former governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola as Minister of Transportation.
Revered economist and financial expert, Wale Edun who has, since the beginning of Tinubu’s administration on May 29, served as economic adviser, would serve as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, while Adebayo Adelabu supervises the Ministry of Power as minister.
Contrary to predictions of many pundits that Dele Alake who has been the President’s spokesperson would serve in the same capacity as Minister of Information and National Orientation, a veteran journalist and publisher of Blueprint Newspapers, Muhammed Idris, was deployed to the ministry while Alake was assigned as Minister of Solid Minerals Development.
Expectedly, prominent lawyer and Tinubu’s legal adviser, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, was made Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
The President created a few new ministries such as the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy with Bunmi Tunji-Ojo as minister; Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy with Hannatu Musawa as minister.
Tinubu also split the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas Resources into two with Heineken Lokpobiri serving as Minister of State, Petroleum Resources; and Ekperipe Ekpo as Minister of State, Gas Resources.
The Presidency also separated the Ministry of Sports Development from Youth, unlike what it was under previous administrations.
While John Enoh serves as Minister of Sports Development, a former member of the House of Representatives for Etsako, Abubakar Momoh, who is from Edo State, now heads the new Ministry of Youth.
Other ministers-designate that were assigned portfolios last Wednesday include former Governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru as Defence Minister; former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence; Tahir Maman, Minister of Education; Yusuf Sununu, Minister of State for Education; Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing & Urban Development; Abdullahi Gwarzo, Minister of State, Housing & Urban Development, while Mairiga Mahmud serves as Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory.
Also assigned portfolios are former Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu as Minister of Budget & Economic Planning; Ishak Salako, Minister of State, Environment and Ecological Management; Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation; Bello Goronyo, Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation; Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security; Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State, Agriculture, and Food Security; Saidu Alkali, Minister of Interior; and Yusuf Tuggar as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Professor Ali Pate will serve as Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare; Tunji Alausa, Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare; Ibrahim Geidam, Minister of Police Affair; Imaam Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of State, Police Affairs; Shuaibu Audu, Minister of Steel Development; U. Maigari Ahmadu, Minister of State, Steel Development; Zephaniah Jisalo, Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs; and Bosun Tijani as Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
Former governor of Plateau State and Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the last general elections, Simon Lalong, will serve as Minister of Labour and Employment; Nkiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State, Labour and Employment; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Doris Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; and Uche Nnaji as Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.
Other ministers to be sworn in next Monday are APC’s campaign spokesperson in the last general elections, Festus Keyamo as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development; Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; and Uju Kennedy as Minister of Women Affairs.
Meanwhile, none of the 45 ministers-designate was assigned to the Ministry of Niger Delta, just as there is no substantive Minister of Environment yet.
The Tide also observed that the President may have toed former President Muhammadu Buhari’s path by assigning to himself Minister of Petroleum and Gas Resources.

By: Boye Salau