PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is yet to nominate a minister from 11 out of Nigeria’s 36 states, The ICIR reports.
On Thursday, July 27, the President submitted 28 nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation in his bid to meet the constitutional requirement mandating Nigerian Presidents to forward ministerial nominees to the Senate not later than 60 days after taking the Oath of Office.
The President assumed office on May 29 after taking over from former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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The Constitution mandates the President to nominate at least one person from each state of the federation as a minister.
Eleven states yet to have a ministerial nominee are the President’s home state – Lagos, Kano, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara.
The ICIR reports that Bauchi, Cross River and Katsina got two slots each in the list sent by the President to the Senate on Thursday.
States with a nominee each are Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo and Jigawa,
Others are Kaduna, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto and Taraba.
Among the nominees are former governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Nasri El-Rufai (Kaduna); and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa).
Umahi, who completed his two-term of four years each as governor on May 29, is currently a serving senator.
Tinubu sent the list containing the nominees to the Senate through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, read the list at the plenary at about 1:30 pm.
The President’s letter, as read by Akpabio, stated: “In compliance with the provisions of Section 147, sub-section two of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended), I am pleased to forward to the Senate for confirmation the under-listed 28 ministerial nominees.”
The nominees, according to their states (included by The ICIR), are Abubakar Momoh (Edo); Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi); John Enoh (Cross River); Hanatu Musawa (Kastina); Uche Nnaji (Enugu); Betta Edu (Cross River); Doris Uzoka (Imo); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); and Mohamed Badaru (Jigawa); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna).
Others are: Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo); Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom); Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo); Stella Okotete (Delta); Uju Ohaneye (Anambra); Dele Alake (Ekiti); Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara); Joseph Utsev (Benue); and Mohammed Idris (Niger).
The list also includes Olawale Edun (Ogun), Nkiru Onyejiocha (Abia); Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Nasarawa; Ali Pate (Bauchi); Bello Mohammed Goronyo (Sokoto); Abubakar Kyari (Borno); Ahmad Dangiwa (Katsina); and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).
While noting that the list was not exhaustive, as more names would be sent to the National Assembly in due course, Tinubu expressed hope that the nominations would receive expeditious consideration and confirmation by the Senate.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org