Tinubu ‘hits the ground running,’ assigns portfolios to Ministers
…El-Rufai, Niger Delta Ministry missing on list
…Appoints Wike as FCT Minister, Oyetola for Transport
By Moses Adeniyi
Barely 79 days after inauguration on May 29, President Bola Tinubu has dished out portfolios to his ministerial nominees who have been cleared by the Senate to form his cabinet.
According to the portfolio issued by the President, the designation had past governors who were believed to have worked for the President during the election, including former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, designated as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) as the Minister of Works; Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), Minister of Transportation; Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Minister of Budget and Economic Planning.
Also were Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Minister of State Defence; Simon B. Lalong (Plateau), Minister of Labour and Employment; Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa), Minister of Defence.
Festus Keyamo and Dele Alake who served as the spokesmen for the Tinubu campaign organisation were designated as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and Minister of Solid Minerals Development respectively.
The list was announced to journalists by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
According to the list, Mr. Wale Edun is the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, while Bunmi Tunji is the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy is Bosun Tijani; Ishak Salako, Minister of State, Environment and Ecological Management.
The Minister of Power is Adedayo Adelabu; Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa; Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John.
Other portfolios include Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Anite; Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji; Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha; Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy
The Minister of Youth is Abubakar Momoh; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu; Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo; Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, while Senator John Enoh is the Minister of Sports Development.
The Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Minister of State Education, Yusuf T. Sununu; Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed M. Dangiwa, and Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Abdullah T. Gwarzo.
Others are Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Mairiga Mahmoud; Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello M. Goronyo; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyar, and Minister of Education, Tahir Maman.
The Minister of Interior is, Sa’Idu A. Alkali; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf M. Tuggar; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate; Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam; Minister of State, Steel Development, U. Maigari Ahmadu; Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu A. Audu, and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is Lateef Fagbemi; Minister of State, Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Govermental Affairs, Zephaniah Jisalo; Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, and Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.
Meanwhile, a close look at the list revealed the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs appeared to have been scrapped as it was not represented on the ministerial portfolio.
Also, no one was designated yet as the senior Minister of Petroleum. Recall during the immediate past Muhammadu Buhari led government, the position was vacant as Buhari was said to have acted himself in position as Minister of Petroleum.
However, by regional distribution into geo-political zones, going by the portfolios, the Northwest has 10 ministers, five senior and five ministers of state. It was observed no person yet to replace Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for Kaduna state, which is expected to occupy the Environment and Ecological Management Ministry. El-Rufai and two others had suffered before the Senate which refused to approve their nomination over questions bordering on security issues.
In the designation, the North Central has six senior ministers out of nine ministerial positions.
The Southwest has seven senior ministers and two ministers of state. The Northeast has six senior ministers and one minister state.
The South-South has five senior ministers and two ministers of state, while the Southeast has four senior ministers and one minister of state.
The ministry of Petroleum has three ministers; two ministers of state and the senior minister, which was not announced.
Recall the Senate had of the 48 man list submitted before it by the President, confirmed 45, but set aside El-Rufai who is one among the three nominees who were dropped by the upper chamber.
Tinubu had before inauguration promised his government would kick start work from the very first day, mentioning his government would be constituted before the first 30 days.
Dele Alake, had in March, boasted that it would not take Tinubu up to 60 days to assemble a team of competent hands for his government.
“It didn’t take Asiwaju more than three weeks to form his cabinet as governor. That was as at that time. I think 60 days is even too much. A month, maximum, is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in,” he had said.
Also, Bayo Onanuga who was the Director of Media and Publicity for the disbanded All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, had said in March too,
“What I can assure you is that even if the list is not ready on the first day, it will not take Asiwaju more than one month to put his cabinet together. He definitely will not wait for 60 days to assemble a competent cabinet.”
Tinubu submission of nominees to the Senate took place late last month on Thursday the July 27 barely 24hours to the 60 days deadline set by the new amendment to the 1999 constitution, he sent a 28-man nomination list to the Senate.
A subsequent list was on Wednesday August 2, sent to the upper chamber for ratification.
