Ministerial list: Buhari submits 21 names • Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige, Onu, Aisha Alhassan, Fayemi, Malami Abubakar, Kachikwu make list

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, receiving the ministerial

nominees on Wednesday

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday received the
ministerial nominees list at about 4:56pm from the Presidency
but said the content of the presidential communication would be
read on Tuesday.
The Senate had adjourned plenary at 2:00pm on Wednesday till
Tuesday, October 6.
Sources said 21 names were contained in the list.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, in company with
the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National
Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, delivered the list in a
sealed envelope to the Senate President in his office.
Saraki, who left the office around 5:30pm, later spoke to
journalists through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity,
Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, explaining that the list would be read
on the floor during plenary Tuesday next week.
“The Senate president received the ministerial list around
5:00pm this evening but no action would be taken on it until next
week Tuesday. The envelope is still sealed,” Olaniyonu told
journalists.
But The PUNCH learnt that a former Lagos State Governor,
Babatunde Fashola; and a former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi
Amaechi, made the list.
Also said to be on the list are Kayode Fayemi, a former governor
of Ekiti State; a former Governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige;
and a one-time Governor of Abia State, Ogbonaya Onu.
Malami Abubakar, SAN, a former National Legal Adviser to the
defunct Congress for Progressives Change; Aisha Alhassan, a
former governorship candidate of the APC in Taraba State; and
Amina Mohammed, a special adviser to the Secretary-General of
the United nations, Ban Ki-Moon, also made the ministerial list.
Same for a former finance commissioner in Ogun State, Kunle
Adeosun.
Curiously, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, Ibe Kachikwu, is said to be on the list,
perhaps to combine his headship of the NNPC with junior
petroleum minister. portfolio. Buhari has already announced
himself as the substantive Minister of Petroleum.
The President had pledged that his ministerial nominees would
be submitted to the Senate for screening and approval before the
end of September thus raising fears on Wednesday that Buhari
had failed to keep his promise to Nigerians.
Also, the Senate had earlier on Wednesday announced that the
President had yet to send the list of ministers.
The Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and
Publicity, Dino Melaye, who addressed journalists shortly after
the Senate had adjourned to Tuesday next week, however urged
Nigerians not to lose hope because the September deadline
given by Buhari would not expire until midnight.
Melaye had said, “We want to announce that we are still waiting
for the ministerial list from Mr. President and I want to advise
that there is no need for agitation as September expires by 12
midnight today (Wednesday).
“We want to assure Nigerians that as soon as we get
possession of this list we will communicate same to Nigerians
through the National Assembly Press Corps.”
He had also reiterated his earlier statement that the Senate “will
attend to the ministerial nominees expeditiously but diligently,
once the list was sent by the President.”
“Due process will be followed and I repeat that it is not going to
be business as usual; we are going to properly screen all
nominees and only those who meet the constitutional and moral
requirements shall be cleared,” he had added.
Melaye explained that the Senate would as from next week start
the consideration of all the communication earlier presented to it
by the President concerning some appointments made while the
Senate was on recess.
Buhari had on Tuesday sent a letter to the Senate, seeking the
confirmation of the appointment of Prof. Umaru Garba Danbatta
as the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications
Commission, for a first term of five years.
Buhari in another letter sought the confirmation of the
appointment of Dr. William Babatunde Fowler as Executive
Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Board for a four-year
term while in another letter, the President sought the
confirmation of the appointment of the Managing Director and
three executive directors for the Assets Management Company
of Nigeria.
The nominees are Kuru as Managing Director; Kola Ayeye,
Eberechukwu Uneze and Aminu Ismail as executive directors.
However, the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, had
during plenary on Tuesday expressed concern that the Senate
president did not read out the list of ministerial nominees
despite the fact that newspapers had reported that it was in the
Senate.
Akpabio, who had raised a point of order, citing order 14, also
noted that the situation became worrisome in view of the fact
that the September 30 deadline promised by Buhari would lapse
on Wednesday.
But Akpabio’s argument had been countered by the Deputy
Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, who explained that the list
could still be sent before midnight on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial
District, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, was on Wednesday announced
as the Senate Chief Whip by Saraki.
Adeyeye was unanimously endorsed by the South-West caucus
of the All Progressives Congress in the red chamber on June
24.
His name was on the list of principal officers approved by the
APC leadership as contained in a letter addressed to the Senate
president by the National Chairman of the party, Chief John
Odigie – Oyegun, on June 23.
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