Akpabio, Akume, Onu, Mamora make ministerial list
Posted by FN Editor | 5 years ago | 1,623 times
Almost two months after he took his oath of office for another term, President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded 43 names to the Senate for confirmation as ministers.
The list read on the floor of the Red Chamber by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, at plenary, yesterday, include former Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, former Benue State governor, George Akume and Senator Gbemisola Saraki.
President Buhari retained 12 former former ministers. They are Lai Mohammed, Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Chris Ngige, Abubakar Malami, Adamu Adamu, Osagie Ehanire, Muhammad Bello, Hadhi Sirika, Raji Fashola, Geoffrey Onyema and Zainab Ahmed.
Edo, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Anambra and Bauchi states, got two slots each while the rest got one each.
The full list include Okechukwu Ogah (Abia State) Muhammadu Musa Bello (Adamawa) Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Senator Chris Ngige and Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra State), Adamu Adamu and Ambassador Mariah Katagum (Bauchi), Timipriye Sylva (Bayelsa), Senator George Akume (Benue State), Mustapha Baba (Born) Goody Eddy Agba (Cross Rivers), Festus Keyamo (Delta) and Dr. Ogbonnayya Onu (Ebonyi).
Also nominees are Dr. Osagie Ehanire and Clement Agba (Edo State), Richard Adeniyi Adebayo (Ekiti), Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu), Ali Isa Ibrahim Patani (Gombe), Emeka Nwajuba (Imo), Suleiman H. Adamu (Jigawa), Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed and Dr. Muhammed Mahmood (Kaduna).
The list also includes Sabo Nanono and Major General Salihi Magashi (retd) from Kano; Senator Hadhi Sirika (Katsina), Abubakar Malami (Kebbi), Ramatu Tijjani (Kogi), Lai Mohammed and Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara), Babatunde Raji Fashola and Adeleke Mamora (Lagos), Mohammed Abdullahi (Nasarawa), Olamilekan Adegbiti (Ogun State) Ambassador Zuberu Dada (Niger), Senator Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Sunday Dare (Oyo), Pauline Tallen (Plateau) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).
Others are Muhammed Margarito Danhyaddi (Sokoto), Saleh Mamman (Taraba), Abubakar Ali (Yobe) and Sadia Umar Farooq (Zamfara State).
On geopolitical zone basis, North West got nine nominees. President Buhari hails from South West.
Apart from South East with six slots, other zones- North East, North Central and South South got seven slots each.
Eight former governors made the list. A former deputy governor also made the list. Out of the number, six served as governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Six former senators made the list. Many of them predominantly served in the last National Assembly. Based on the tradition of the Senate, former members will not be grilled. They will take a bow and leave the chamber during their appearance.
President of the Senate, Lawan, a fortnight ago, revealed that the ministerial list would be ready before the end of that legislative week.
He recanted later when President Buhari failed to submit the list. Instead, Lawan claimed that he was misquoted by the media.
In 2015, President Muhammadu submitted the list to the Bukola Saraki-led eight Senate in October. The Federal Executive Council was eventually inaugurated in November the same year.
Unlike in 2015 when some of the nominees faced serious opposition from their state governors and senators, the coast appears clear for this set of nominees.
Meanwhile, President of the Senate, Lawan, has revealed that screening will commence today. He said other activities in the Senate will be placed on hold.
“Screening of the nominees will commence tomorrow (today). We need to be on ground to perform this important national assignment. We need to take this assignment seriously.”
Based on its legislative calendar, the Senate, vis-a-vis the National Assembly is expected to proceed on its annual vacation on Thursday, July 25.
With the planned screening exercise, the annual vacation will have to be placed on hold until the nominees are cleared in accordance with the law.
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