TINUBU'S MINISTERIAL NOMINEES SCREENING SET TO BEGIN TODAY

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President Bola Tinubu, last Thursday, sent 28 nominees to the red chamber for confirmation.

The first batch of ministerial nominations forwarded to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu are ready to be screened.

According to reliable sources, 20 of the 28 ministerial nominees have finished their paperwork for the Senate screening today (Monday).

Those who have yet to complete their documentation are believed to be out of the country.

On Thursday, July 27, 2023, about 24 hours after the Senate unveiled the President’s first batch of ministerial nominees, Abdullahi Gumel, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), asked the ministerial nominees to complete their documentation ahead of screening, which begins today (Monday).

After a long wait, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, delivered Tinubu’s cabinet list to the Senate.

At exactly 1:19 p.m., Gbajabiamila, the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, handed the list to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The President is required by Section 147 (3) of the 1999 Constitution to designate at least one minister from each of the 36 states. However, 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory have yet to name ministers: Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Lagos, Osun, Yobe, Plateau, and Zamfara.

The President stated in his letter to the Senate titled ‘Request For Confirmation Of Ministerial Nominees’ that a supplementary ministerial list would be given to the red chamber in due time.

Tinubu’s first set of nominations was overshadowed by politicians including ex-governors, serving and former members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Notably, four former governors made the list. Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Nasir El Rufai (Kaduna), and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) are the governors.
The list also included presidential spokesman Dele Alake, acting National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Kyari, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Fagbemi.

Women make up 25% of the nominations, while men make up 75%. Betta Edu, Doris Aniche Uzoka, Hannatu Musawa, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Stella Okotete, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, and Iman Suleiman Ibrahim are among the women.

Many pundits blamed the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s slow start on his late appointment of ministers. Buhari, who handed over the reins to Tinubu after eight years in office, revealed his cabinet six months after his election in 2015.

At the time of filing this report, the ministerial screening has not begun as the Senate President is yet to arrive for the event.