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President Bola Tinubu finally unveiled the much-awaited ministers list.
As predicted, the immediate past Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and his colleague from Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai made the ministers list.
The Senate received the ministerial nomination in the wee hours of Thursday.
Tinubu revealed the last two days before the constitutional stipulated deadline and as promised by him.
As per the constitution, the President has 60 days after assuming office to unveil his cabinet members.
Section 42 of the constitution states that “(a) the nomination of any person to the office of a Minister for confirmation by the Senate shall be done within sixty days after the date the President has taken the oath of office;
"(b) not less than ten per cent of persons appointed as Ministers shall be women:
"Provided that the President may appoint a Minister at any other time during his tenure and such appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
The president is also urged by the constitution to appoint at least one minister from each of the 36 states of the federation.
Amongst those who made the list include popular economist, Olawale Edun, a former Deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Adebayo Adelabu, the women leader of the All Progressives Congress, and Betta Edu, who all made the list.
Also on the list is the former Minister of Health under Goodluck Jonathan who recently rejected an international job, Ali Pate.
Others who made the President’s cabinet are Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), former Cross River governor, Ben Ayade, his colleague from Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, and the President’s Special Adviser on Media, Strategy and Special Duties, Dele Alake.
The President only forwarded the names without portfolios being attached to them.
There have been agitations over the ministerial list particularly due to Tinubu’s long silence over the list.
A number of Nigerians have expressed concern and worry over the delayed formation of the President’s cabinet particularly because after his election, Tinubu had promised Nigerians that he would hit the ground running.
He had also promised credible governance with competent people occupying various positions across the sphere of execution.
In a statement on March 16, Tinubu said he would set up a “government of national competence.
“There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance.”
The delay in announcing the cabinet ministers has led to the emergence of several lists of ministers, which the government itself disowned.
