Following President Bola Tinubu’s submission of his administration’s ministerial nomination list to the National Assembly on Thursday, the Federal Government (FG) has revealed that it may create new ministries from the existing ones.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday after the ministerial list was submitted to the National Assembly and read by the Senate President of the 10th Assembly, Godswill Akpabio.
The former Speaker while speaking, emphasized how critical the President was in the selection process of the shortlisted nominees for his administration’s ministerial appointments.
He said the president who had 60 days from the date of his inauguration (according to law) to present a nomination list to the senate, worked assiduously to fulfill his constitutional obligation by presenting a list of 28 nominees for ministerial appointments while noting that portfolios of the nominees were not included in the letter to the Senate in order to give room for reviews.
The chief of staff however explained that a list of about 13 more nominations would be forwarded to the house in due course, adding that this was part of the process of having a cabinet for the administration.
Included in the first list of 28 minister-nominees are Abubakar Momoh, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Ahmed Dangiwa, Hannatu Musawa, Chief Uche Nnaji, Dr Betta Edu, Dr Doris Aniche Uzoka, David Umahi, and Rivers State former Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Others include Badaru Abubakar, Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai, Ekperipe Ekpo, Nkeiruka Onyejocha, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, Stella Okotette, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, Mr Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Mr Dele Alake, and Mr Lateef Fagbemi.
Also included in the list are Mr Muhammad Idris, Mr Olawale Edun, Mr Waheed Adebayo Adelabu, Mrs Iman Suleiman Ibrahim, Prof. Ali Pate, Prof. Joseph Utsev, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Sen. John Enoh, and Sen. Sani Abubakar Danladi.
Speaking on the creation of new ministries as well as on the ministerial nomination list already submitted to the Senate, Gbajabiamila said, ‘’Mr President intends to separate portfolios or restructure the ministries in such a way you might be hearing of new ministries that were not standalone ministries before. So the process continues.’’
‘’As you know he had 60 days from the time of inauguration, as stipulated in the constitution. He has fulfilled that requirement of the constitution by submitting 28 names today.
‘’As his letter stated, and was read on the floor of the Senate, the remaining names, not sure how many, probably about 12, maybe 13, will be forwarded to the Senate in the coming days.
‘’As far as the nominees themselves are concerned, and like I said, Mr President took his time to sift through those names,’’ he said.
‘’As good as that sounds, it straitjackets the president to pigeonhole one person in an office or the other. What happens then if you change your mind, do you then bring the person back for screening again, because the president is at liberty to change your mind?
‘’For instance, if I decide I want somebody as Minister of Labour, and then after sending the name, later on, I decide that this person would actually be better with another portfolio. And meanwhile, the Senate has screened that person for that particular initial portfolio.
‘’What happens then? Do you now re-screen the person? So, a lot of these things have their merits and demerits,’’ Gbajabiamila said.
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