ministerial nominees will hit the Senate early next week after what
sources described as 'laborious' security checks and vetting of the
prospective nominees.
The high-wire tension and expectations with which Nigerians awaited
President Muhammadu Buhari's ministerial nominees have been doused
with his submission of names of 21 nominees to the Senate.
As of last night, the various security agencies were said to be
working frantically to beat the new deadline said to have been given
to them by the President.
Vanguard reports that the security checks on the remaining nominees
are being carried out within and outside Nigeria.
PHOTO: NIGERIA @55— Third from left: Speaker, House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo;
President Muhammadu Buhari; Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Chief
Justice of the Federation Mahmud Mohammed and others, cutting the cake
to celebrate the 55th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria at the
forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday. Photo from
Vanguard
The President on Wednesday forwarded to the Senate, names of 21
nominees for confirmation, with a promise to send the others in due
course.
Each state of the federation is, by virtue of the constitution,
entitled to a ministerial slot in the federal cabinet.
Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that the Presidency insisted that more
background checks be conducted on the nominees, especially against the
backdrop of the need to avoid making mistakes in appointing the wrong
persons into the cabinet.
It was further learned that the names of those transmitted to the
Senate on Wednesday were those whose background checks had been
concluded.
"It is not certain when the checks on the remaining 15 will be completed.
This explains why the President, in his independence anniversary
speech, did not give a time frame because it is dependent on when the
security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, will conclude their job on the nominees," a source
said last night.
The source said the 21 names already with the Senate had gone through
the same process, adding that the issue had taken so much time because
of the need to do a thorough job.
"If the President had his way, the process of appointing ministers
would have long been concluded but the security people handling the
checks pleaded for time to do a thorough job," a reliable source told
Vanguard.
Horse-trading
Apart from the checks, Vanguard investigation also revealed that the
cause of the delay in submitting the 15 names is the horse-trading
still going on within the All Progressives Congress, APC, over their
nomination.
It was further learned that there was no consensus yet on the choice
of the nominees by leaders in their states.
Next batch hits Senate next Tuesday – Garba Shehu
In his reaction last night, Senior Special Assistant to the President
on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the next batch would
be sent to the National Assembly, Tuesday.
He said: "To be honest with you, I have been travelling in the last
two days. I came in early today (yesterday). I am not privy to any
list.
However, every government from 1999 till date under this constitution,
has not given the names of ministers from day one.
"They (ministerial nominees) have always been sent to the National
Assembly in batches, this is nothing extraordinary.
Where is the balance? I do not know. May be by Tuesday next week when
they come back, they (National Assembly) will probably have the
balance waiting for them but if it will take a longer period, the
President will decide that."
Although the Senate is yet to officially make public names of the 21
nominees forwarded to it by the President, media reports reeled out
names, including Dr. Chris Ngige (Anambra), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti),
Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Gen. Abdurrahman
Dambazau, retd, (Kano), Aisha AlHassan (Taraba), Ogbonnaya Onu (Abia),
Kemi Adeosun (Ogun) and Abubakar Malami, SAN, (Kebbi).
Others are Senator Sirika Hadi (Katsina), Adebayo Shittu (Oyo),
Sulaiman Adamu (Jigawa), Solomon Dalong (Plateau), Ibe Kachikwu
(Delta), Osagie Ehanire (Edo, Udoma Udo-Udoma (Akwa Ibom), Ahmed Isa
Ibeto (Niger), Ibrahim Jibril, Audu Ogbeh (Benue), and Amina Mohammed
(Kaduna).
I doubt the names reported by the media – Babatope
However,former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said he
doubted the authenticity of the list. He said: "I am not a member of
the APC. What comment do I want to make on people who are not members
of my party? I do not know them, I only know them by their names.
All I can say is to wish them the best of luck when they are
appointed. Anyway, they have not all been appointed. Buhari told us
that he would be releasing their names piece-meal, so we will wait for
the rest of the names. We do not know if the list is authentic because
the President of the Senate said he would disclose their names on
October 6, so, let us wait and see what happens."
Be patient with Buhari – Ogunlewe
Former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, appealed to
Nigerians to be patient with the President as far as the ministerial
list is concerned.
Ogunlewe said: "It is at the discretion of the President to send the
names but we must first commend him. Why can't we wait till October 6
because all these things we are reading are speculations.
"What Saraki said is that he has the list sealed and that he would not
allow anybody access the contents until Tuesday. My suggestion is:
Let everybody wait because we do not know the number of names on the
list. We have to be patient with our government and reasonable. It is
not every time we criticise, that is my own position."
Buhari wants the best – Fasehun
Founder of Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, said:
"Probably the President does not want to over work the Senate. That is
why he is taking his time in sending the names, making it to look as
if he has embraced a piecemeal method. As a man with a vision of what
he wants for the country, I want to believe that the President is not
in a hurry to send all the list because he wants the best hands for
the job."
Also reacting, retired Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav,
urged Nigerians to support the President in his war on graft, saying
"we hope and pray that the corrupt and selfish elite will repent and
give Buhari maximum support to take Nigeria to the next level."
Nothing unique – Odumakin
National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba socio-political group,
Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin said, yesterday, that President Buhari would
have submitted the names of the ministerial nominees at Eagle Square
rather than to the Senate.
Reacting to the speculated names of possible ministers, Odumakin, who
noted that there was nothing unique about the list, said the President
did not surprise anyone.
According to him, the names are not worth waiting for a period of four months.
"There is no excitement or surprise in the list. They are mostly
run-of-the-mill people that do not warrant the nation waiting four
months. Those names could have been submitted at Eagles Square on May
29."
Buhari didn't need to wait this long —
Sen. Urhoghide
Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South) shared Odumakin's views. He
said it was not necessary for President Buhari to have waited this
long before coming up with the list he made available.
According to Senator Urhoghide, the persons whose names were submitted
have been around and known to the President, especially the nominee
from Edo State, Osagie Ehanire.
Urhoghide, who noted that though the character and personality of the
nominees were not in doubt, said what was paramount was performance as
ministers.
-Vanguard
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