Nigerians wishing to see a full President Muhammadu Buhari cabinet take shape may have to wait a little longer as the Senate would not commence screening of the 21-member list of ministerial nominees made up of three women and 18 men until next Tuesday, October 13, 2015.
The list however has failed to excite many Nigerians who chided the President to have waited so long to forward a list of all too familiar faces of politicians, some of whom have outstanding corruption issues to clear against their names.
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta North) wondered why the President had to wait for a good four months to produce a list of familiar faces. Also speaking on the same vein, Dr. Mark Okolugbo, a Lagos-based tycoon pooh-poohed the President for the quality of personnel on the list; adding that these are not men and women that will excite anybody as many of them failed in their previous stations. “Even among those touted to have performed brilliantly at their previous assignments, we are now seeing thick smoke of corruption spewing out of their kitchen. I had expected Mr. President to go for fresh, vibrant younger Nigerians who have fresh ideas and insight to offer”. He lamented that none of the 21 nominees is less than 40 years old, noting that some of them are rather too old to hold ministerial positions in the 21st Century.
For Mr. Olakunle Atolagbe, an Economist, the list leans more on the side of compensation for politicians than for a drastic socio-economic transformation of the nation. “When you take a look at this list you see nothing but politicians who are being given a pat on the back for their labour and investment in the victory of APC at the polls; you do not see non-partisan technocrats who will at all times tell the President the bitter truth when he goes off the line. I fear these are not the people to drive the change we are eagerly waiting for”, he told our reporter.
Meantime, market index has again dipped at the Stock Exchange on announcement of the list, the same fate that befell the market last week when the speculative list was released.
Earlier Tuesday, the Senate President Bukola Saraki revealed the names on the ministerial list sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari last week. The much anticipated sitting commenced almost 11 a.m after which Saraki listed the names as:
1.Chris Ngige – Anambra
- Kayode Fayemi- Ekiti
- Rotimi Amaechi – Rivers
- Babatunde Fashola -Lagos
- Abdulrahman Danbazau
- Aisha Alhassan – Taraba
- Ogbonaya Onu- Ebonyi
8.Kemi Adeosun -Ogun
- Abubakar Malami (SAN) -Kebbi
- Sen Hadi Sirika -Katsina
- Barr. Adebayo Shittu -Oyo
- Suleiman Adam -Jigawa
- Solomon Dalong -Plateau
- Ibe Kachikwu-Delta
- Osagie Ehanire -Edo
- Audu Ogbeh – Benue
- Lai Mohammed -Kwara
- Ahmed Isa Ibeto – Niger
- Amina Mohammed – Kaduna
- Udoma Udo Udoma-Akwa Ibom
However, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Akpabio, raised a Point of Order on the need for the list of Ministerial Nominees to cover all States of the Federation.
