Gbajabiamila: Tinubu Personally Screened Ministerial Nominees; May Create New Ministries

By Damola Emmanuel 

President Bola Tinubu personally screened the ministerial nominees before forwarding the ‘Batch A’ names comprising 28 names to the Senate on Thursday.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, now the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, told Channels Television in Abuja shortly after presenting President Tinubu’s letter containing the names of the nominees to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday.

The letter bearing the list was dated July 27, 2023, and titled, “Request For Confirmation Of Ministerial-Nominees.”

The Chief of Staff, according to the multiple award-winning television station, also hinted that new Ministries would be created by the Tinubu Administration.

“Mr President intends to separate portfolios or restructure the ministries in such a way you might be hearing of new ministries that were not standalone ministries before. So, the process continues,” Gbajabiamila said.

That is not all. Gbajabiamila also disclosed that the nominees were personally screened by the President before the successful ones were selected. The screening by the President was in addition to the rigorous scrutiny by relevant agencies of government, notably the Department of State Services, DSS.

The Chief of Staff revealed that the list of ‘Batch B’ nominees, 13 in all, would soon be sent to the Senate for screening and subsequent confirmation.

Declaring that the various step taken en-route to submitting the list to the Senate was all part of the processes necessary for the formation of a cabinet for the administration.

“As you know, he had 60 days from the time of inauguration, as stipulated in the Constitution. He has fulfilled that requirement of the constitution by submitting 28 names today,” he declared.

“As his letter stated, and was read on the floor of the Senate, the remaining names, not sure how many, probably about 12, maybe 13, will be forwarded to the Senate in the coming days.

“As far as the nominees themselves are concerned, and like I said, Mr President took his time to sift through those names,” he stated.

Politicians, including ex-governors, serving and former members of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives dominated the list submitted for Senate’s vetting on Thursday.

But notably, twenty-five per cent of the nominees are women while 75% are men. The female nominees are “Betta Edu, Doris Aniche Uzoka, Hannatu Musawa, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Stella Okotete, Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, and Iman Suleiman Ibrahim.

Four ex-governors, including Nyesom Wike (Rivers State), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Nasir El Rufai (Kaduna); Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) made the ‘Batch A’ list.

Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake, also made the list alongside the acting National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Abubakar Kyari; as well as Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.

Thursday’s submission of the Ministerial nominees to the National Assembly came just a day before the expiration of the 60-day constitutional deadline of July 28, 2023, allowed for President Tinubu.

The Fifth Amendment to the 1999 Constitution mandates the President to transmit the names of his ministerial nominees to the National Assembly within 60 days of assumption of office.