The inauguration of the 45 confirmed ministers-designate on Monday held at the Conference Centre of the State House, Abuja.
This comes less than a week after President Bola Tinubu released the list of ministers for the appointed posts, which was again reviewed on Sunday.
The current lists include: Wale Edun (Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy), Adegboyega Oyetola (Marine and Blue Economy), David Umahi (Works), Festus Keyamo (Aviation and Aerospace Development), and Betta Edu (Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation) and former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike as Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT
The video here shows the highlights.
Also, among those sworn in are Wale Edun (Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy), Adedayo Adelabu (Minister of Power), Tunisia Alausa (State, Health and Social Welfare), Dele Alake (Solid Minerals Development), Lola Ade-John (Minister of Tourism), Sa’idu Alkali (Transportation), and Bunmi Tunji-Ojo (Interior), Bosun Tijani (Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy) and Ishak Salaco (State, Environment and Ecological Management)
The new ministers also include Mohammed Badaru (Defence), Bello Matawalle (State Defence), Yusuf T. Sunumu (State Education), Ahmed M. Dangiwa (Housing and Urban Development), Abdullah T. Gwarzo (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Atiku Bagudu (Budget and Economic Planning), John Enoh (Sports Development) and Hannatu Musawa (Art, Culture and the Creative Economy).
Also sworn in are U. Maigari Ahmadu (State, Steel Development), and Shuaibu A. Audu (Steel Development). Mairiga Mahmud (State, Federal Capital Territory), Bello M. Goronyo (State, Water Resources and Sanitation), Abubakar Kyar (Agriculture and Food Security), Tahir Maman (Education), Yusuf M. Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Ali Pate (Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare) and Ibrahim Geidam (Police Affairs).
Others are Muhammed Idris (Information and National Orientation), Lateef Fagbemi (Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice), Simon B. Lalong (Labour and Employment), Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (State, Police Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties and Inter-Govermental Affairs), Joseph Utsev (Water Resources and Sanitation), and Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (State, Agriculture and Food Security).
Though a Minister of Environment and Ecological Management has yet to be designated, the Presidency assigned the appointment to Kaduna State, an indication that it is being reserved for the as-yet-uncleared Nasir El-Rufai.
Redeployments
Tinubu on Sunday re-deployed ex-Governor of Osun State and minister-designate, Adegboyega Oyetola, from the Ministry of Transportation to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
The President also redeployed another minister-designate, Abubakar Momoh, from the Federal Ministry of Youth to the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Development.
“The Federal Ministry of Youth is to be re-assigned to a Minister-Designate soon,” said presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, adding that the changes take immediate effect.
According to Ngelale, Tinubu also redeployed minister-designate Bunmi Tunji-Ojo to the Ministry of Interior while Sa’idu Alkali was redeployed as the Minister of Transportation.
Screenings
On July 31, the Senate screened former governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike; Abubakar Kyari of Borno State; Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia State); Bello Muhammad (Sokoto State); Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba State); and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa State).
Others screened were Joseph Utsev (Benue State), Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo State), Betta Edu (Cross River State), Uju Kennedy Ohaneye (Anambra State), Abubakar Momoh (Edo State), John Enoh (Cross River State), Iman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa State), and Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi State).
The Senate on August 1 underwent the same procedure for ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Wale Edun, Uche Nnaji, Stella Okotete, Adebayo Adelabu, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Hannatu Musawa, and Musa Dangiwa.
The following day, the red chamber screened Dele Alake, Lateef Fagbemi and Muhammad Idris, Ali Pate, and Doris Uzoka.
Tinubu went on to send a supplementary list of 19 nominees to the Senate last Wednesday. On August 4, two days later, the President withdrew the nomination of Maryam Shetty of Kano State from the list, replacing her with Festus Keyamo and Mariya Mahmoud.
The Senate also screened Zephaniah Jisalo, Shuaibu Audu, Yusuf Sununu, Bello Matawalle, Alkali Saidu, Ahmed Gwarzo, Atiku Bagudu, Simon Lalong, Ibrahim Gaidam, Aliu Abdullahi, Gboyega Oyetola, Heineken Lokpobiri and Tunji Alausa.
The screening continued at Senate on August 5 with Lola Ade-John, Bosun Tijani, Isiak Salako, Tahir Mamman, and Maigari Ahmadu.
The exercise concluded on August 7 with the screening of Mahmoud and then Keyamo.
Nasir-El-Rufai has been under intense interrogations since the Senate’s reluctance and then blunt refusal to confirm the former Kaduna State governor earlier this month, along with Stella Okotete (Delta State) and Abubakar Danladi (Taraba State) over pending security clearances.
During his screening, he was quizzed on “repetitive petition” against him bordering on security issues presumably in his state. However, Senate President Akpabio asked the ex-governor not to “bother” addressing the issue as the Senate was not in charge of such petitions.
Days later, he was denied confirmation, leading to an alleged friction between El-Rufai and the President Tinubu.
