The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has threatened to repatriate former security guards popularly known as Happie Boys back to Nigeria.
Naija News reports that the controversial clergyman made this known during a church service as he expressed displeasure over the boys’ entitlement attitude towards Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere.
Recall that the Rivers State-based pastor clashed with Happie Boys over their scholarship in Cyprus, with the latter accusing Apostle Chinyere of abandoning them.
However, Chinyere said he stopped sending them money because of the increase in Naira to the dollar rate.
Reacting to this, Suleman, during the church sermon, said such a level of entitlement stops philanthropists from helping other people.
According to him, he was almost moved to call Chinyere to take action against the boys after watching a video of them talking down on him.
Suleman added that he would bring the former security guards back to Nigeria if they make any attempt to respond to his criticism against them.
He said, “I read about the story of some boys who a man of God carried to Cyprus, Happie Boys or what do they call themselves, I also saw them doing a video against the pastor, your father and mother that gave birth to you didn’t carry you to abroad, a man of God out of the love of God carried you abroad and the man said, I don’t have money again because you are not the only one I am sponsoring, but they had the problem of entitlement.
“Sometimes I wonder about the generation that we are in, a generation that kills those that they love, people who open their hearts to help others are being stabbed. If this generation doesn’t take time, very soon, there will be no good man.
“I was also moved to calling Apostle Chinyere to do something, but I just held back my mind because I know Cyprus very well and know how to bring them back, and I am not joking. If they are watching me and I hear a word from them, I will bring them back. The worst thing that can happen to any good man is to help a bad person.”
No fewer than seven women will be in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu as ministers, according to a list of 28 nominees for ministerial positions sent to Senate on Thursday.
The president of the senate Godswill Akpabio on Thursday unveiled the ministerial nominees and females represents 25 per cent of the total names submitted.
Women who made the list are Hannatu Musawa, Betta Chimaobim Edu, Nkiru Onyejiocha, Doris Anite Uzoka, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, Stella Okotete, and Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim.
President Tinubu said more ministerial nominees would be sent to the Senate, suggesting that more women could be added to the list.
Zainab Jaji, a public affairs commentator said she was impressed by the number and quality of women that would be in the cabinet.
“Glad to see many women on the team, because it will bring diversity and show progressive nature of Nigeria,” she said.
Below are the profiles of the six female minister designates:
Hannatu Musawa
Hannatu Musawa was born on 20 September 1973 amd hails from Katsina State.
She is a Nigerian lawyer, a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and a solicitor in England & Wales, UK.
She was the Deputy Spokesperson and the Deputy Director Public Affairs of the All progressives congress (APC).
Betta Chimaobim Edu
37-year-old Betta Chimaobim Edu is from Cross River State and was born on 27 October 1986.
Edu holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from the University of Calabar, she is a Harvard certified, Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, United Kingdom.
She was the former Cross River State commissioner for health from 2019 until her resignation in 2022. She is the incumbent APC National Women Leader.
Nkiru Onyejeocha
Nkiru Onyejiocha hails from Abia State and was born on 23 November 1969.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Imo State University.
From 2002 to 2003, she was the Commissioner for Resource Management and Manpower Development in Abia State and was the transition Executive Chairman of the Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state
In 2007, she was first elected a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but later defected to APC.
In 2011, she was appointed chairman House Committee on Aviation
In 2013, Onyejiocha called for a holistic investigation and prosecution of officials who were involved in compromising aviation safety rules that led to the crash of a passenger plane– Dana Air Flight 992
Also In 2019, Onyejiocha ran for the speaker of the 9th House of Reps after she was re-elected to the House for a fourth term.
Doris Anite Uzoka
Doris Anite Uzoka is from Imo State, born on 13 December 1967.
She is a medical doctor and a chartered financial analyst. She was a former General Manager of Zenith Bank Plc and the incumbent Imo State Commissioner for Finance and Coordination of Economy.
Uju Kennedy Ohanenye
Uju Kennedy Ohanenye hails from Anambra State and was born on 23 December 1973
The 50 years old is a lawyer by training, and a businesswoman with stakes in real estate and education. .
Uju was the only female APC presidential aspirant in the 2023 presidential election.
She is married.
Stella Okotete
Stella Okotete is from Delta state, and was born on 4 January 1988
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from Benson Idahosa University, Benin City.
Okotete is currently the Executive Director, Business Development of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM).
Before her appointment into NEXIM, she was a focal person for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Delta State between 2011 and 2015.
She is an honorary senior member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
Imaan Ibrahim
Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim was born on April 1980 and hails from Keffi Nasarawa State.
Her father was S.K Danladi, an Abuja-based engineer and developer
Ibrahim graduated with a bachelor degree in sociology from the University of Abuja. At the age of 21, she received two master’s degrees, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Arts (MA) from Webster University.
She was the Diirector General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), from 1 December 2020 till 27 May 2021.
And when former President Muhammadu Buhari announced a swap, she was redeployed as the honorable Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
No fewer than 1,200 Nigerian youths died last year in the Mediterranean Sea and deserts while attempting to enter Europe in search of greener pastures.
This was revealed by the acting Comptroller General of the NIS, Wuraola Adepoju, at the headquarters of the service.
Adepoju, at a meeting on the dangers of irregular migration in Abuja, said the “Japa Syndrome” amongst Nigerian youths was becoming worrisome and alarming as more young persons were being deceived daily to embark on irregular migration.
Speaking at the commencement of the two-day sensitisation programme, which included road shows, street campaigns, distribution of pamphlets and visitations to Utako Motor Park, Wuse Market and Government Secondary School in Garki, Abuja, Adepoju said all hands should be on deck to arrest the trend, stressing that the NIS under her watch would not allow the problem to escalate.
The NIS boss expressed sadness that Nigeria was losing her productive population to irregular migration.
She said the sensitisation programme, which was organised by the Directorate of Migration in the NIS, was in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the service, holding from August 1 to 8, 2023.
Adepoju said the service found it imperative to encourage Nigerians, who desired to travel outside the country, to approach the NIS for advice, collection of passport, documents and visas, warning that passing through irregular routes has dangerous consequences.
The Head of the Directorate of Migration and Deputy Comptroller-General of NIS, Kemi Nandap, explained that to curtail the global menace, the NIS was working with security agencies, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Justice Department and some international agencies.
[EagleOnline]
United Nations (UN) secretary-general Antonio Guterres demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Niger’s President Mohammed Buzoum as military officers continue to hold the democratically-elected leader captive declaring a coup.
A group of officers from all branches of the military made the television announcement late on Wednesday, after members of the president’s own guard detained him inside his offices in the capital Niamey.
According to news reports, the attempted coup does not have the backing of the entire military, but the head of the army has announced that he supports the move.
Guterres, addressing reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, again strongly condemned the attempted military takeover and the assault against the democratically elected government.
The UN supports the efforts of the West African bloc ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) to restore democracy.
President Bazoum issued a defiant tweet of his own on Thursday, saying that “the hard-won achievements would be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it.
Guterres said he had spoken to the president on Wednesday to express the UN’s full solidarity.
Addressing the coup plotters in Niger directly to camera, the UN chief demanded they stop obstructing democratic governance, and respect the rule of law.
After coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years, provoked by the rise of jihadist terrorist groups across the entire Sahel region, the secretary-general noted that the events in Niamey were part of “a disturbing trend”
“Successive unconstitutional changes of government are having terrible effects on the development and lives of civilian populations.
“This is particularly glaring in countries already affected by conflict, violent extremism and terrorism, as well as the devastating effects of climate change.”
The UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk said in a tweet that he was “shocked and distressed” by the coup attempt, adding that every step must be taken to restore constitutional order.
Assistant inspector-general of police (AIG) in charge of Zone 9, AIG Echeng Echeng, has charged police personnel in Imo State to neutralise IPOB/ESN elements enforcing the illegal sit-at-home directive.
Echeng gave the charge during a familiarisation tour of the Imo command in Owerri yesterday.
The AIG said the police would apply a stringent approach to fight insurgency, terrorism and other criminal activities within the zone.
“I will continuously ensure that we take the fight to those who do not want peace. There is nothing anybody can do without security.
“The economy of the state will not be affected by a group of miscreants who think they have control,” he stated.
Echeng, who advised the residents to go about their normal businesses, reiterated the readiness of his men to sustain peace and provide adequate security for the people of Imo, Abia and Ebonyi States.
“We will continue to partner with other security agencies in the state to ensure that those planning to enforce the sit at home order are surely dealt with.
“Imo people deserve better than what they are getting now.
“They deserve peace, adequate security, economic growth and stability; and this we assure them,” Echeng noted.
Earlier, the state commissioner of police, Mr Mohammed Barde, said the command had continued to battle IPOB/ESN with a view to bringing their activities to an end.
“So far, we have been winning the battle.
“The strategies adopted by the command have helped drastically to cut down violent crimes in the state to the barest minimum. I am delighted to inform you that the general security in the state has improved.
“The command is working assiduously and determined to improve on the records already achieved so that the people of the state can enjoy relative peace,” Barde stated. (NAN)
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has announced the names of the Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of the 134 House Standing Committees.
Abbas, who announced the constitution of the Committees at the tail end of Thursday plenary on Thursday, named Hon. Abubakar Bichi as Appropriations Committee chairman; Hon. Babajimi Benson – Defence Chairman; Hon. Regina Akume, National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Committee chairman.
Hon. Muktar Betara is appointed to chair FCT Committee; Hon. Yusuf Gagdi – Navy; Idris Ahmed Wase – Federal Character, while Hon. Bamidele Salam of the PDP is Chairman of Public Accounts Committee, and Hon. Wole Oke will chair Judiciary Committee.
Others are Hon. Adamu Tanko – Diaspora; Hon. Okonta Chris – Climate Change; Hon. Chris Ogene – Renewable Energy; Hon. Bello el-Rufai – Banking Regulations, and Hon. Ibrahim Bukar-Ibrahim – Rural Electrification, among others.
The Federal Government has raised the alarm over the growing trend of child labour in the country.
DAILY POST reports that the government raised the concern during the celebration of the 2023 World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) when it dropped a staggering figure of 43 percent as the number of Nigerian children that are engaged in child labour.
The revelation has since become a talking point in certain quarters, with some people equating the scourge to modern day slavery.
The development also calls to mind the humanitarian work of a British crusader, William Wilberforce, who championed the campaign against slave trade in the early 19th Century.
His regard for the sanctity of human life was the driving force behind his campaign to end slavery at that time. Slavery reduced humanity to nothingness and human lives were valueless.
In fact, the society was a quintessence of the famous English philosopher, Thomas Hobbs’s picture of life in a state of nature – short, nasty, poor and brutish. So, in 1807, when an Act for the abolition of slave trade came into force, it was a big relief to most African countries, especially those that were under the British colony.
But, human beings in their wicked nature would not give up so easily. They quickly cashed in on the high level of poverty among Africans, particularly Nigerians to begin to exploit children by engaging them in chores and works meant for the adults.
The practice became so rampant that it began to assume the dimension of slavery. It may not be an outright sale of human beings for cheap labour but it has the entire semblance of that. It could be said to be slavery in disguise.
And to address the evolving ugly trend, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2002, declared June 12 as the WDACL. It was to focus attention on the global extent of child labour, the action and efforts needed to eliminate it, and ever since then, it has been a yearly event across the world.
Child labour deprives children of education and opportunity and stacks the odds against them securing a decent income and stable employment as adults. The celebration is intended to serve as a catalyst for the growing worldwide movement against child labour.
So, when the Federal Government, through the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Daju Kachollom, dropped the bombshell that an estimated 43 percent of Nigerian children between the ages of five and 11 actively participate in economic activities, including the worst kinds of child labour, it immediately called to mind the ugly days of slavery.
Describing child labour as a serious issue that impacts millions of young people globally, Kachollom equally noted that it violates the fundamental rights to education, health, mental and moral growth of children, as well as a childhood free from all sorts of exploitations.
The 2023 celebration, themed: “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour,” was intended to reawaken consciousness of the problem and to re-energise international movement for social justice and the abolition of child labour.
She reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating the dangers of child labour, noting that 39 percent of the children engaged in child labour work in dangerous industries like mining, granite quarrying and building construction, as well as engage in commercial sexual exploitation, armed conflict and occasionally, becoming victims of trafficking.
Analysts are of the view that there is an urgent need to review the national policy on child labour and the national action plan on the elimination of child labour.
This, they argued, would mainstream child labour into the Labour Standards Bill, including the adoption of 15 years as the minimum age for employment of children among others.
Checks by the DAILY POST revealed a growing cartel and network of men and women across the West African coast, which employs the services of under-aged children and ferry them across to Nigeria for various cheap labour.
Most of them work as nannies, housemaids, washer men/women, hawkers, security guards, as well as labourers in building sites across Lagos and other states of the federation.
Investigations have also shown that the bulk of these innocent children are from Togo, Benin Republic, Sierra-Leone and sometimes, Ghana.
Most often, they are willingly contracted to merchants or slave masters by their parents, who in turn, receive peanuts from the masters at the end of every month.
A large number of these under-aged children are found mostly in building sites and elites’ homes as domestic servants across most states in Nigeria, including Lagos.
A casual visit to some of the emerging towns in Lagos such as Lekki and Ajah among other fast growing urban and sub-urban centres in Lagos brings to fore the reality and gravity of the problem at hand.
They mix cement and gravel and serve the mason using head pans. They also carry blocks, which they serve the bricklayers on their heads. They don’t have any permanent address. Wherever they are building a new structure automatically becomes their new abode.
They look haggard, unkempt, malnourished and lethargic whenever one comes across them. Their condition is pitiable but they are helpless. They have been given away by their parents or wards in exchange for a peanut.
Expectedly, child development experts are in total agreement with the Permanent Secretary, Kachollom, who listed poverty, cultural and religious factors, poor educational system, inadequate social protection systems and wrong perception of the negative effects of child labour as some of the hindrances to ending child labor in Nigeria
Apart from reiterating the government’s commitment to creating initiatives that would end child labour, she equally listed other plans by the government to include engaging in advocacy interventions as a way of encouraging government at all levels and policymakers to enact and enforce laws that protect children from exploitation and ensure access to quality education.
She also noted that efforts were being made to help community-based groups carry out programmes aimed at preventing child labour, rehabilitating victims of child labour, and empowering households that are at risk of it.
A building contractor, Romanus Okoye, noted that most kids who work at building construction sites across Lagos were mostly from neighbouring Togo and Benin Republic.
“Most times, they come through a network. In fact, I refer to it as an extension of the ancient slave trade.
“Simply put, it is modern slavery. From my investigation, their fathers are often the ones who give them out to be used as child labourers. The parents are paid a token from whatever the middleman gets from whomever that is using the child.
“They are mostly used for manual labour, domestic chores or even street hawking. I know of a few networks in some parts of Lagos State. I think it has really gone all over. It is a trade that is done underground; just like the slave trade.”
However, there are others who use a different lens to view what is happening.
To this group of people, the kids are simply learning the art of craftsmanship.
For them, they are only being exposed early in life to learning the skills of building; they see nothing wrong in that.
But, there are others who refuse to follow the argument that they are just learning a craft at an early age. Those on this divide insisted that the children were only being used as cheap labourers.
One of the proponents of this group, a social critic, Godwin Onatade, argued that if they wanted to learn any craft, they should first, get formal education, which would help them to make good choices of what they want to be in life.
“The surprising thing is that these little kids ought to be somewhere in school to get formal education first and know if their calling is in the craft work or white collar job.
“A child should be given a free hand to decide what profession to take on in life. Their age ranges from five, six and up to 13. The main person that brought them to the site will release money to the eldest among them to provide meals to the others.
“Most times, they just cook beans and eat it with garri at the site. They also live on the site, sometimes in the open. They live in the houses still under construction starting from the period of foundation to the roofing level,” he stated.
Commenting on those engaged as domestic servants/workers at a very tender age, he said: “What would you say about a little boy or girl of less than 10 years who is employed to carry out such tedious domestic works as washing clothes, cleaning and mopping the house, washing plates, and washing cars among other domestic chores meant for grown up?
“Would you also say that such kids are learning a craft? No, it is pure child abuse and slavery. And they do it because they pay next to nothing to these kids unlike when a mature person is engaged to carry out such duties.
“So, it is just an unfortunate situation that calls for every well-meaning individual to speak out against.”
Osita Osemene is the Coordinator of the Patriotic Citizens Initiative, an organisation that is at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking, sexual exploitation and child slavery, among other forms of inhuman treatments against humanity.
Lending his voice to the discourse, he described child labour as a wicked and terrible act.
“It is simply man’s inhumanity to man. You can imagine recruiting children at that age usually from the age of six to 10 years, bringing them for cheap labour to work as bricklayers and all sorts of work.
“It is true that many are from Togo and Benin Republic, but there are quite a large number of them who are Nigerians,” he said.
What is the way out of the ugly development?
Osemene volunteered: “Already we have been trying in our own small way by collaborating with an agency like the National Agency for the Prohibition and Trafficking in Human Persons (NAPTIP) to bring this kind of ugly trend to a stop.
“We have a network for the eradication of child abuse and labour. My organisation is collaborating with them. It is even being supervised by the NAPTIP.”
Osemene noted that his organisation and NAPTIP alone would be unable to do the work, and called on all hands to be on deck.
“We are working but the issue is that the work is not enough. The incident is so rampant that it is happening in different areas at the same or different times and we cannot be everywhere. But, the ones we can see, we will talk because people must be aware,” he said.
He also advised parents to always speak out when they see such things in their environment, even as he called on the concerned authorities to educate parents on what constitutes child labour.
“Another thing is that parents are making things more difficult. They see these things as a means of livelihood.
“We need to educate our parents very well to see the evil in this business. When they know, they can complain when they see these things around their environment.
“We can stem the tide through awareness creation. And the people who are into the business, when caught, should be seriously dealt with to serve as a deterrent to others,” he advised.
[DailyPost]
The Corporate Affairs Commission has said it will remove 100,000 registered companies from its database soon.
During a training on ‘Use of the beneficial ownership register’, in Lagos, the Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer, CAC, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, disclosed the commission’s intention to delete 100,000 registered companies from its database.
“CAC steps up enforcement of 100,000 companies to go off its register for failure to file an annual return,” Abubakar said.
According to him, 100,000 companies that failed to file annual returns in the last 10 years were due to be struck off by the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Abubakar, however, said the commission would send notice of striking off to the affected companies before embarking on the action as enshrined in section 692 of the CAMA, 2020.
He explained that the companies were entitled to be relisted after payment of their outstanding debts and order of a court, as provided by the law.
Abubakar advised companies to ensure timely payment of their annual returns to avoid being struck off.
Speaking on Africa’s first Beneficial Ownership Register, built by the CAC with the support and assistance of the World Bank, the registrar general said it would go a long way in curbing corruption, money laundering, and terrorism financing.
He urged stakeholders, especially, investigating agencies, legal practitioners, journalists, and civil society organisations, to utilise the BOR in discharging their responsibilities.
In his remark, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law, NBA-SBL, Dr Adeyeye Adefulu, commended the CAC for recording another important milestone in its history.
Adefulu said NBA-SBL would sustain its existing cordial relationship with the commission. He charged members to make good use of the knowledge acquired at the training for the benefit of the Nigerian economy.
Also speaking, the President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Aminu Gwadabe, underscored the importance of the BOR in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.
Gwadabe, who highlighted some of the dangers associated with money laundering and terrorism financing, advised professionals to apply due diligence while dealing with their clients.
[Punch]
Eleven states of the federation will have to wait as President Bola Tinubu forwarded a list of 28 ministerial nominees through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila to the Senate for screening and confirmation, yesterday.
The constitution requires that at least a minister comes from each of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The states that have to wait are Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Plateau, Lagos, Osun, Yobe, and Zamfara. President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday received the long-awaited ministerial list from President Bola Tinubu, thereby putting an end to weeks of anxiety and speculations about who would make the list.
Tinubu’s ministerial list is dominated by former governors, ex-senators, House of Representatives members and strong political allies believed to have worked for his victory at the polls.
The number of names sent was 28, with no state of origin attached and with a promise that more names would follow soon, as Adamawa, Kogi, Lagos, Anambra and Bayelsa states are missing on the list.
Those on the list include Abubakar Momoh (Edo); Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi); Ahmad Dangiwa (Katsina); Hannatu Musawa (Katsina); Uche Nnaji (Enugu); Betta Edu (Cross River); Doris Uzoka (Imo); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (Rivers); and Muhammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).
Others are Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Ekperipe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom); Nkeiruka Onyejocha (Abia); Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo); Stella Okotete (Delta); Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye (Anambra); Bello Muhammad Goronyo (Sokoto); Dele Alake (Ekiti); and Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara).
Also on the list are Mohammad Idris (Niger); Olawale Edun (Ogun); Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo); Imman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa); Ali Pate (Bauchi); Joseph Utsev (Benue); Abubakar Kyari (Borno); John Enoh (Cross River); and Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba).
The list was delivered by the former speaker, House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajiabiamila, who entered the hallowed chamber at 1.18pm and delivered the letter, in consonance with Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution.
Minutes after emerging from a closed door session which started at 12.18pm, the Senate did what had not been done before, invoking section 1(a), 1(b) and section 12 of its standing rules to admit Gbajabiamila into the chamber to deliver the much-awaited communication from the President.
The letter which was addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, made it the first time a Chief of Staff would come personally to the chamber to present any executive communication directly to the president of the Senate.
The list, however, managed to get to the Upper Chamber a few hours to the expiration of the constitutional deadline that mandates the President to forward the names of those he wants to hire into his cabinet to the senate for vetting and approval within 60 days after his inauguration.
Soon after receiving the list from the former speaker, the President of the Senate immediately unveiled it to senators who had also waited with bathed breathe for the executive communications.
Dominating the ministerial list are former governors, including that of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, his counterpart from Rivers, Nyesom Wike, a card-carrying member of main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Also on the list are the immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru; former governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who is currently the Deputy Majority in the Senate.
Tinubu’s list is also significantly dominated by former National Assembly members, mostly senators.
On the list is the current acting National Chairman of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who represented Borno North in the 8th and 9th Senate.
Also on the list is Senator John Enoh, who represented Cross River Central in the 8th Senate and Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi who was former acting governor and deputy governor of Taraba State.
However, Danladi was impeached by Taraba State House of Assembly on September 4, 2012, and replaced by Alhaji Umar Garba as deputy governor, who later became the acting governor of the state after the air crash that claimed the life of former Danbaba Suntai.
On the list are former Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Nkiru Onyejiocha, who represented Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi federal constituency, Abia State; Olubunmi Tunji Ojo,who represented Akoko North East/ North West federal constituency, Ondo State.
He was the chairman, House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC; Abubakar Momoh, a two-time member of the House of Representatives who represented Etsako federal constituency, Edo State, and Ekperikpe Ekpo, who represented Abak federal constituency from 2007 and 2011 from Akwa Ibom State.
A former All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, made the list.
Former Executive Director, NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotete, from Delta State, and the Special Adviser to the President on Communication, Strategy and Special Duties, Dele Alake, from Ekiti State also made the list.
Alake is a close ally of President Tinubu. Former Commissioner in Lagos, Wale Edu, from Ogun
A surprise package on the ministerial list is the Publisher of Blue Print Newspapers, Mohammed Idris, from Niger State.
One of the lead counsels in Tinubu’s case at the election petition tribunal, Lateef Fagbemi, from Kwara State, and Accord Party’s governorship candidate in Oyo State, Waheed Adebayo Adelabu, also made the list.
Also on the list is Professor Joseph Utsev, a very close ally of Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, and the Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, Akume’s hometown in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State.
Meanwhile, the Senate has suspended its annual long recess that would have commenced yesterday to begin the screening of the ministerial nominees next Monday.
Addressing journalists yesterday after plenary, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, APC, Ekiti South, vowed that senators would be thorough in the screening, as they would dwell more on the experience, character, personality and background of the nominees.
According to him, there will be no take a bow and go, except when there are no questions.
Senator Adaramodu said: “This time, screening will be very thorough.
‘’It is not going to be a situation where the screening will be anyhow. We are going to know the background of the nominees and we are not going to disappoint Nigerians.
“All the dry bones, physically and socially, must rise. It is not going to be a shallow screening. You must have the character, you must have the face, you must have the behavior to be among the cabin crew that is going to fly Nigeria.
“This time around, Nigeria is going to be better. Whoever gets to the floor of the Senate will be screened; we will not manufacture any question.”
Why Tinubu didn’t attach portfolios to ministerial nominees list —Presidency
Meanwhile, fielding questions from State House correspondents after submitting the list, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said President Bola Tinubu did not attach portfolios to the names of ministerial nominees because he wants to have the opportunity of looking at the character of the nominees during screening in order to know which ministry to place them.
He explained why it would have been the best idea to attach portfolios to the names, it might cause problems if the President changed his mind after they had been screened.
Gbajabiamila also said the list of ministerial nominees comprised of technocrats and politicians for balance, stressing that they were eminently qualified to make the list.
He also hinted that the President might separate portfolios or restructure ministries in such a way that new ministries not in existence before might emerge.
Asked why portfolios were not attached, he said: “Yes, I mean for me that would have been one way to go about it. It would have been a welcome development. As good as that sounds, it straightjackets the President to pigeonhole one person in an office or the other.
“What happens then if you change your mind? Do you then bring the person back for screening again, because the President is at liberty to change his mind?
“For instance, if I decide I want somebody as Minister of Labour, and then after setting the name, later on, I decide that, you know what, I didn’t know this about this person, this person would actually be better with another portfolio.
“Meanwhile, the Senate has screened that person for that particular, initial portfolio, what happens then? Do you now rescreen the person?
“So, a lot of these things have their merits and demerits, advantages and disadvantages. I like the idea of attaching portfolios, I actually do, because it makes it necessary for the Senate to know exactly what you’re asking and what you’re looking for.
“But for now, it’s been thought wise that we stick to the tradition of sending the names and then whilst the screening processes are going on, the Mr. President and his team would have the opportunity to look at the portfolios and the characters and see how they fit.
“The first step he has taken is that these are people that can work wherever you put them, except this specialized fields, such as attorney general and what have you.
“But in the main, in most of the portfolios, he believes most of them can fit in anywhere. And what’s important is also the fact that 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.”
The Chief of Staff observed that the nominees had a good balance as, according to him, President Tinubu took his time to assess them.
He added: “Well, first of all, I mean, I’m sure you all know that the government is not fully formed until a cabinet is in place. And that process started a while ago, culminating in the delivery of ministerial nominees today (yesterday).
“The President took his time, spent a lot of time going through, did a lot of due diligence, going through the nominees one by one.
“As you know, he had 60 days from time of inauguration, as stipulated in the Constitution. He has fulfilled that requirement of the Constitution by submitting 28 names today (yesterday).
“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 dissected those names with a fine tooth comb. And that’s what you’ve seen. Each and every one, I believe, is worth being on that list.
“But I really hope we haven’t missed anything that would have necessitated any name not being on that list. But we wait and see. It’s a good mix of both people with political acumen and technocrats.
“So, this is a good balance and it is needed. These are people who have keyed into the vision and mission of Mr. President. Like I said, it’s a good balance needed to move the country forward, as Mr. President is eager to do and has already started doing.”
Gbajabiamila expressed confidence that in the next few weeks, the new ministers would hit the ground running, hinting that they would even begin work in some ways before their clearance and inauguration.
“Well, like I said, it’s a process. And we’re at the middle of the process now. As far as Mr. President is concerned, he has his cabinet. I’m sure there will be those who will be working behind the scenes, giving him advice, you know, even before confirmation in anticipation of confirmation, because there’s no time to waste, not a day. Every day is important to this government.
“So, I mean, they may not start fully officially until they are confirmed, but I’m sure they will still continue to contribute advice here and there to Mr. President.
“Even I, before I fully assumed officially my office as the Chief of Staff, I was doing some skeletal work and advise to Mr. President as his presumptive chief of staff.
“For all intents and purposes, work should start in earnest for them in the next week or two because I don’t see the Senate wasting too much time in the confirmation, not because they’re not going to do a thorough job, they will do a thorough job.
‘’But they will balance it with the knowledge that in this time that we are in, time is of the essence.”
Profiles of ministerial nominees
1 . Dele Alake (Ekiti)
Henry Dele Alake, born on October 6, 1956, is a journalist, activist and technocrat from Ekiti State.
Alake had his primary education at Surulere Baptist Primary School, Surulere, in Lagos from 1961 to 1967. He later moved to Christ’s School Ado Ekiti, where he earned the West African School Certificate. He obtained the General Certificate of Education in 1974 while pursuing his Higher School Certificate course at the Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, between 1973 and 1975. Later in 1975, he enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree programme in Political Science of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos and graduated in 1978.
He later returned to the same university and obtained a master’s degree in Mass Communications in 1981.
He is a former commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 under the then Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
In 2023, Alake was appointed Special Adviser to the President, Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy.
- Wale Edun (Ogun)
Mr Olawale Edun popularly known as Wale Edun holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of London and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Sussex, England.
Wale Edun, who hails from Ogun State, had a chequered career in the financial sector both in national and international companies. He served as the Head of Treasury and Deputy Head of Corporate Finance at Chase Merchant Bank and he was in charge of the bank’s Treasury and Money Market activities he had major responsibility for Capital Market and Financial Advisory operations on behalf of the local subsidiaries and affiliates of major multinational companies.
During his time at Chase, he gained international experience while on secondment to the Wall Street firms of Lehman Brothers and Chase Manhattan Capital Markets Corporation in New York, USA. From 1980 to 1986, he worked at Chase Merchant Bank (later Continental) in Lagos.
He joined the World Bank/IFC in Washington DC, US through the elite Young Professionals program in September 1986. At the World Bank, Mr Edun worked on economic and financial packages for several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic and Trinidad as well as Indonesia and India in the Far East.
He has been the Chairman of Chapel Hill Denham Group since March 2008. In 1989, he returned to Nigeria as Co-Founder and Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Plc (formerly Investment Banking & Trust Company Limited). In 1994, he founded Denham Management Limited. He also sits on the Board of a number of other companies. In 1999, he was appointed as Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, a position he held for an unprecedented two terms under Senator Bola Tinubu.
Edun is married to Amy Adwoa Edun (née Appiah) who is a Ghanian, one of his sons, Adetomiwa Edun is an actor in the UK movie industry and another (Tobi Edun) is married to Folake Fajemirokun, daughter of Chief Oladele Fajemirokun, successful business magnate, entrepreneur, investor, venture capitalist, philanthropist and Chairman of Xerox Company. Chief Oladele’s wife, Edith Korantema Fajemirokun (Koranteng) interestingly is also a Ghanian.
Before being nominated, Edun is the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Monetary Policies.
- Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo)
Adebayo Adelabu, born on September 28, 1970, is a former Deputy Governor (Operations) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Adelabu was born to Aderibigbe Adelabu of Oke-Oluokun compound, Kudeti Area in Ibadan. His grandfather is Adegoke Adelabu.
He attended Ibadan Municipal Government primary school, Agodi Ibadan from 1976 to 1982 and Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan from 1982 to 1987.
He received a first-class degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and an Associate Member of the Institute of Directors of Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Adelabu has also taken up professional courses in various business schools, including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kelloggs, Euromoney, and the University of London.
Adelabu started his career with PriceWaterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), an international firm of chartered accountants and management consultants. During his seven years with the firm, he led and managed various audit and consultancy engagements for large banks and non-bank financial institutions within and outside Nigeria.
He was on secondment to the Central Bank of Nigeria for one year in 1999 when he led the finance team on the CBN re-engineering and corporate renewal project tagged “Project EAGLES”. He left the firm in year 2000 as an audit manager and senior consultant to join First Atlantic Bank as the Financial Controller and Group Head of Risk Management and Controls. He was later promoted to Chief Inspector of the Bank in 2002 and Group Head of National Public Sector Business in 2003.
He later moved to Standard Chartered Bank as the West African Regional Head of Finance and Strategy (Consumer Banking Business) with dual offices in Lagos and Accra. He was there till 2009 from when he became an Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Nigeria’s largest bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc. (FBN) at the age of 39.
Adebayo was appointed by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in February 2014 as Deputy Governor, Operations of the CBN.
In 2019, he contested the governorship election in Oyo State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
- Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara)
Lateef Fagbemi was born on June 22, 1956, in Ijagbo, Kwara State, Nigeria and he is among the prominent and successful personalities in Kwara State. He attended the University of Lagos, where he obtained his Bachelor of Law degree and he also holds a Master of Laws degree from the same institution.
Lateef Fagbemi began his career when he was called to Nigerian Bar. He served as a counsel in the law firm of Gani Fawehinmi & Co and later he founded his own law firm, Lateef Fagbemi & Co.
Fagbemi has been involved in numerous high-profile cases, including election petitions and other constitutional matters. Due to his advocacy skills, he was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Furthermore, he has also served as a judge in different Nigerian courts, including the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. Presently, he is the All-Progressive Congresses, APC, team lead attorney to defend the 2023 presidential election result in court.
- Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna)
Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai was born on February 16, 1960, to a Fulani family in Daudawa. His father died while he was 8 years old, and he was sponsored through his early schooling by an uncle in Kaduna.
El-Rufai is married to three wives.
The former Kadun State governor was educated in Barewa College. As a junior at the college, President Umaru Yar’Adua was the house captain of his dormitory.
In 1976, he graduated at the top of his class, winning the “Barewa Old Boys’ Association Academic Achievement” Trophy.
El-Rufai attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where he received a bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying with first-class honours.
In 1984, he received a Master of Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University. He has since attended several professional and post-graduate programs, including the Georgetown School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C and programs on privatization and leadership.
In 1998, following the death of military head of state General Sani Abacha, his successor General Abdulsalami Abubakar appointed El-Rufai as an economic advisor. In this role he worked with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
In 1999, the military transferred power to President Olusegun Obasanjo. In November 1999, he was appointed the director of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and secretary of the National Council of Privatisation where he spear-headed the privatisation of several government owned corporations alongside Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Also, in July 2003, he was appointed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
- Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi)
Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, born 12 March 1967 was appointed the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 representing Gamawa; and he ran twice for Governor of Bauchi State.
Tuggar represented Gamawa from Bauchi State in the Nigerian House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011.
- Ahmed Dangiwa (Katsina) Arch. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa hails from Katsina State.
Before taking over as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Dangiwa, an architect, had been managing partner of AM Design Consults, an architectural and real estate development consultancy firm, since 1996.
Dangiwa had his first and second degrees in architecture from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he also earned an MBA. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Wharton University Pennsylvania, U.S.A. and has attended numerous training courses.
- Hannatu Musawa (Katsina)
Hannatu Musawa, born in 1980, is a lawyer, politician and author. She was the deputy spokesperson and Deputy Director Public Affairs of the All progressives Congress, APC.
She graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Buckingham, UK. She has a postgraduate Master’s degree in the Legal aspects of Marine Affairs from the University of Cardiff wales. She also has a Master’s degree in Oil & gas from the University of Aberdeen.
Musawa, a lawyer, hails from Katsina State, while her father, Alhaji Musa Musawa, is a veteran politician.
- Uche Nnaji (Enugu)
Chief Uche Nnaji was the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Enugu State.
Nnaji hails from Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The governorship candidate came to the limelight in 1999 when he won the senatorial ticket of the then Alliance for Democracy, AD. He was later to step down for Chief Jim Nwobodo, who was eventually elected senator for the senatorial district.
Nnaji is a brother to Mr Nnoli Nnaji of Nkanu East and West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
- Betta Edu (Cross River)
Dr Betta Edu, born on October 27, 1986, hails from Ibalebo village in Abi local government Area, Cross River State.
Betta completed her secondary education at Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, she is a graduate of medicine and surgery from the University of Calabar.
She is a Harvard certified, Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, United Kingdom, and until recently, the Cross River State Commissioner for Health and National Chairman of Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum.
In 2022, she emerged as the youngest female to become the National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress.
- Doris Aniche Uzoka (Imo)
Dr (Mrs) Doris Uzoka-Anite was a former Commissioner for Finance and Coordinating Economy in Imo State.
She was also a former General Manager of Zenith Bank Plc. She hails from Oguta LGA of Imo State.
- David Umahi (Ebonyi)
David Umahi, a two-term Governor of Ebonyi State between 2015 and 2023, was born 25 July 1964.
He is the son of Elder Joseph Umahi Nwaze and Margaret Umahi of Umunaga, Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area, now in Ebonyi State.
Umahi received his secondary education from Ishiagu High School and the Government Secondary School of Afikpo before entering the Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 1982. He graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.
In 1990, he co-founded Norman Engineering and Construction Nig. Limited with Ombo Isokarari and served as its general manager until 1993.
Until 2011, he served as chairman and CEO of Brass Engineering & Construction Nig. Ltd., Focus Investment Nig.Ltd., and Osborn La Palm Royal Resort Ltd.
The former governor participated in the APC presidential primaries where he polled 38 votes to come a distant sixth in the election won by President Bola Tinubu.
After a prolonged battle in various courts, INEC recognised Umahi as the candidate for the district, from where he was subsequently elected as a first-timer at the 10th Senate.
- Nyesom Wike (Rivers)
Mr Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, was born December 13, 1967.
The Ikwerre-born lawyer turned politician was a two-time Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area from 1999 to 2007.
He obtained his Bachelor of Law from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology before proceeding to Law School in 1997.
- Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa)
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, born September 19, 1962, served as governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023.
He is the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fertilizer and also the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Non-oil Revenue, and he is also the owner of Talamiz group of industries.
Abubakar is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained a B.Sc Accounting degree.
Badaru is also an alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru.
- Ekperipe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom)
Mr Ekperipe is a renowned grassroot politician, and a former Council Chairman who was in the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2011.
Ekpo who is the Director-General of Akwa Ibom Democratic Forum, ADF, is also a prominent chieftain of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, in his home state.
- Nkiru Onyejeocha (Abia)
Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejocha, born on 23rd of November 1969, is a ranking lawmaker in Federal House of Representatives, representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State
Onyejocha was previously Executive Transition Chairman of Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State in 2002. In 2003 she served in the executive cabinet of Abia State as commissioner for Resource Management and Manpower Development
During the 7th assembly she was awarded the most vibrant female legislator in Nigeria by Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASSAN.
- Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo)
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, born 1st of May 1982, is a lawmaker from the Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State.
In 1999, he gained admission into Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife to study Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
In 2002, while in his third year at the Obafemi Awolowo University, he proceeded to the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University) where he studied Electronics and Communication Engineering and graduated in 2005.
He obtained a master’s degree in Digital Communication and Networking from the same institution in 2006.
He holds certifications in eighteen professional qualifications in ICT including the prestigious title of being one of the first set of certified ethical hackers from Royal Britannia IT Training Academy in the United Kingdom before he turned 24 years.
- Stella Okotete (Delta State)
Stella Okotete holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from Benson Idahosa University. She also has a Diploma in Law from the Rivers State College of Arts and Sciences. She also holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution.
In addition to her academic qualifications, she has completed prestigious certificate programs, including the Harvard Kennedy School Certificate Program for Emerging Leaders and the Entrepreneurial Management program at the Lagos Business School.
She is an influential figure within the All Progressives Congress, APC. She was the National Women Leader of the APC Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC.
Okotete was also appointed as the Executive Director, Business Development, Nigeria Export-Impor (NEXIM) Bank in 2017. Between 2011 and 2015, she served as the Special Assistant and Adviser to the Executive Governor of Delta State on the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.
- Bello Muhammad Goronyo (Sokoto)
Bello Muhammad-Goronyo was a former Commissioner for Information in Sokoto State during the tenure of Governor Aminu Tambuwal.
Muhammad-Goronyo was however sacked after decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The former Commissioner was also the Chairman, Publicity and Media Committee of PDP Governorship Campaign Council in Sokoto State, until he decamped.
- Uju Kennedy-ohanenye (Anambra)
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, married with four children, Kennedy-Ohanenye is a businesswoman with stakes in real estate and education.
Her foray into the last All Progressives Congress, APC’s, male-dominated presidential primary was, for her, a necessity.
Not intimidated by the array of male aspirants, Kennedy-Ohanenye waded in the murky waters of her party’s electoral process until she ‘smartly’ announced her withdrawal from the race at the party’s special convention, and also mobilised support for the former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
- Imaam Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Nasarawa)
Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim was formerly the Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, from 1 December 2020 till 27 May 2021, when former President, Muhammadu Buhari announced a swap and she was redeployed as the Honourable Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
At 19, she graduated from University of Abuja with a degree in sociology. At 21, she received two master’s degrees from Webster University, an MBA and MA.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim was born in Jos, Plateau, but she hails from Keffi, Nasarawa State.
- Ali Pate (Bauchi)
Professor Muhammad Ali Pate was born on 6th September 1968. He is a physician and a Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University.
He formerly served as the Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents, GFF, at the World Bank Group. Pate was also the former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria.
Pate was born in the Misau local government area of Bauchi State in Nigeria. Pate graduated from high school to enter the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, medical school in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
He graduated from ABU and moved to Gambia where he worked in rural hospitals for a few years.
- Joseph Utseve (Benue)
Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev is a civil engineer and former Rector of federal polytechnic, Wanune, Tarka LGA of Benue State.
He was an associate Professor at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi.
Utsev, from Buruku LGA, was a commissioner in the Samuel Ortom government. He is Tiv, the dominant ethnic group in Benue state.
- Abubakar Kyari (Borno)
SENATOR Abubakar Kyari CON, born 15 January 1963, was the senator representing Borno North Senatorial District of Borno State at the 9th National Assembly from 2015 until his resignation in April 2022.
He is a member and the acting national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Kyari was born in Borno State. His father was former military administrator, late Brigadier Abba Kyari to North Central from 1967 to 1975.
He was educated in Nigeria and United States of America. He attended Kaduna Capital School in 1974. He then proceeded to Barewa College Zaria where he obtained his WASSCE in 1979.
He attended the University of Tennessee Martin in USA where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1986. Thereafter in 1989, he attended Webster University St.Louis Missouri USA for his Masters in Business Administration (MBA).
- John Enoh (Cross River)
SENATOR John Enoh was born and raised in Agbokim Waterfall community of Cross River State.
Enoh was a Senator in 2015 representing Central Senatorial District of Cross River State in the 8th Assembly of the Senate.
He was a member of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, up until May 2017 when he decamped to the ruling All progressive Congress, APC, and contested for governorship and lost to incumbent governor, Ben Ayade.
- Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba)
Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi was former Acting Governor and Deputy Governor of Taraba State. He also served as the Senator representing Taraba North Senatorial Zone on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, before he was impeached.
He was born on May 20, 1967, in Bachama, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Danladi defected to the All Progressives Congress. It was on this platform that he contested for the governorship seat of Taraba State in 2019. He lost to Darius Ishaku of PDP.
- Abubakar Momoh (Edo)
ENGINEER Abubakar Momoh hails from Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. He is a Civil engineer by professional training.
Momoh was a two-time member of the House of Reps.
He dumped APC for PDP in 2019 and flew the party’s ticket in the Edo North senatorial election and lost. Thereafter, he returned to the APC.
- Mohammed Idris (Niger)
Mohammed Idris, popularly known as Mohammed Idris Malagi was born on May 2, 1966 in Gbako local government area of Niger State.
He is the founder/chairman and publisher of Blueprint newspaper. He is also the chairman of Abuja based Kings Broadcasting Limited, owners of WE 106.5 FM Abuja, Nigeria.
He is the General Secretary of Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, NPAN.
He was the All Progressives Congress Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign council director of strategic communications.
Idris Malagi was born on the 2nd of May, 1966. He had his primary education in Kontagora between 1971 and 1977. He then proceeded to GSS Rijau in 1977 and graduated in 1982. In 1983 he was admitted to study English studies at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, where he graduated in 1987. He had his master’s degree in the same discipline from Bayero University Kano in 1995.
‘They can work anywhere’ — Gbaja explains why Tinubu didn’t assign portfolios to ministerial nominees
AdminFemi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, has explained why his principal did not assign portfolios to the ministerial nominees sent to the national assembly.
TheCable reported that Tinubu on Thursday sent 28 ministerial nominees to the senate for screening and confirmation.
Speaking with reporters after the submission of the list, Gbajabiamila said while the screening exercise will be ongoing, the president and his team will have the opportunity to decide who fits best to a particular office.
“Yes, I mean for me that would have been one way to go about it, it would have been a welcome development. As good as that sounds, it straitjacket’s the president to pigeonhole one person to an office or the other,” Gbajabiamila said.
“What happens if you change your mind, do you then bring the person back for screening again, because the president is at liberty to change his mind?
“For instance, if I decide I want somebody as minister of labour, and then after sending the name, later on, I decide that you know what, I didn’t know this about this person, this person would actually be better with another portfolio.
“Meanwhile, the senate has screened that person for that initial portfolio, what happens then? Do you now re-screen the person?
“So a lot of these things have their merits and demerits, advantages and disadvantages. I like the idea of attaching portfolios, I actually do, because it makes it necessary for the senate to know exactly what you’re asking and what you’re looking for.
“But for now, it’s been thought wise that we stick to the tradition of sending the names and then whilst the screening processes going on, allow the Mr president and his team to look at the portfolios and the characters and see how they fit.
“The first step that he has done is that these are people that can work wherever you put them, except specialised fields like attorney general and what have you. But in the main time, he believes most of them can fit in anywhere.
“And what’s important also is that Mr president intends to separate portfolios or restructure the ministries in such a way that you might be hearing of new ministries that were not stand-alone ministries before. So the process continues.”
[TheCable]
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The Senate is breaking its own rules to start the screening of President Bola Tinubu‘s 28 ministerial nominees on Monday, July 31.
Under normal circumstances, the Senate does not conduct business on Mondays.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu explained this unexpected move while speaking with journalists after a plenary session.
He emphasized that each nominee would undergo rigorous screening.
“In light of the significance of this national assignment, we’ve suspended all our rules to commence the exercise next Monday,” Adaramodu declared.
He also revealed that the Senate’s annual long recess, which should have started on Thursday, has been delayed to allow lawmakers to focus on the screening process for as long as necessary.
The traditional “bow and go” procedure will not be applied automatically for any nominee, except where needed, Adaramodu stated.
He further assured Nigerians that the 10th Senate would not let them down.
“We will scrutinise the character, personality, and ability of every nominee,” he said, and added that they would not manufacture questions or allegations.
If there are any petitions or concerns about the nominees, Adaramodu advised people to forward these to the appropriate Senate committees.
Regarding fraud allegations against some nominees, he clarified that all nominees have undergone security screenings from the executive branch. “However, if any red flag is raised, we will look into it,” he affirmed.
President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, urged Nigerians to persevere with his administration some more, saying he understands the pains they must be experiencing since the discontinuance of the petrol subsidy on May 29.
The President gave the assurance that the hardships of the moment would eventually give way to a more prosperous, equitable and inclusive economy.
“You have endured; you just need to persevere a little bit more. It’s not going to be easy to make the necessary changes,” Tinubu told a delegation of youths leaders from across the 36 states, led by the All Progressives Congress Youth Leader, Mr Dayo Israel, to the State House, Abuja.
Tinubu told the delegation, “I plead your understanding that the economic reforms are very slow sometimes.
“I can assure you that I understand your pains and the pains of your uncles, brothers and your moms. I feel it.
“It is not easy to get out a monster of over 40 years that is called subsidy.”
The President said the economic reforms of the past over 50 days were necessary because the country could no longer afford subsidy, which, he said, benefits only a few elites at the expense of the majority of Nigerians.
“For a few elites fleecing Nigeria, it is unacceptable and will never be acceptable to us.
“Things that we cannot afford, we cannot engage in. We cannot afford the subsidy; it is clear.
“It is made for just a few elites. It is not beneficial to the generality and the greatest number of the people in this country.”
The President told the youths that his administration would include them in governance and decision-making processes, adding that “No decision would be too difficult for his administration to take for the prosperity and unity of the nation.”
He noted that his administration would do everything necessary to widen the net to accommodate more women and youths.
Echoing earlier remarks by Vice President Kashim Shettima on World MSMEs Day, Tinubu said his administration would provide access to single-digit loans for Nigerian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises within the shortest time feasible.
Earlier in his remarks, the APC National Youth Leader, Israel, told the President that, as representatives of all the youth organs of the party, they had come to congratulate him on the party’s victory at the polls and seek inclusion in appointments into the dissolved boards and agencies of government.
A former Personal Assistant to the ex-First Lady, Aisha Buhari, on Domestic and Social Events, Funke Adesiyan, has faulted the nomination of a former Central Bank Deputy Governor, Adebayo Adelabu, as a ministerial nominee from Oyo State.
The Nollywood actress, who is an All Progressives Congress chieftain in Oyo, in a statement on Thursday, described the nomination as “insensitive and unmerited appointment”.
Adelabu was the governorship candidate of the Accord Party during the March 2023 governorship election in Oyo. He came third in the race with a total of 38,357 votes.
The PUNCH reports the Senate, on Thursday, unveiled President Bola Tinubu’s 28 ministerial nominees. The names of the nominees were read by the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, at the plenary shortly after it was delivered.
The Chief of Staff to the President and immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, personally delivered the letter containing the list of the ministerial nominees to the Senate. Adelabu was one of the ministerial nominees unveiled by Akpabio during plenary.
But in the statement titled, ‘Chief Bayo Adelabu as Oyo State ministerial nominee: Not in our best interest’, Adesiyan explained that Adelabu does not “represent a good demography of Oyo people”.
The APC chieftain said, “It is against this background that I join the entire members and party leaders of our great party, the APC in Oyo state and indeed the entire people of Oyo State to reject this insensitive and unmerited appointment. I make bold to say that we will not concede to delusion in the name of party loyalty and allow a man who was and is still the architect of the party’s perennial electoral misfortune in the state clinch the highest political position available to rally the already hapless and hopeless party members in the state as a succour of last resort.”
She added, “Whilst I wish to congratulate able Nigerians who made the ministerial list presented by Mr President today, however, we the people of Oyo state reject this particular ministerial nominee and we implore our listening President to kindly reconsider this appointment.
For equality and peaceful coexistence of all of us (Oyo, Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Oke Ogun 1 and Oke Ogun 2), both the governor and minister can not be from Ibadan as this will not just be unjust, unfair, but also a total desecration of the nation’s long-held ideals of federal character.
“As stated earlier, both the governor of our state, His Excellency, Engr. Abiodun Oluseyi Makinde and Oloye Bayo Adelabu are both Ibadan, in fact from the same Federal constituency. What happens to other constituencies? It is my firm belief that there is no need to further fan political discord in a state that is already heated politically.
“As a bonafide APC member, I wish to appeal to our dear father, Mr President, to kindly consider nominating a minister who is a part of our party. It’s a nomination, the Law allows for resubstitution prior to confirmation. We are already in the opposition in our state. Giving our ministerial slot to a member of another party is tantamount to totally ending the party in Oyo State.”
The factional chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, Mr. Rasaq Salinsile, has declined the appointment given to him by the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, citing personal reasons.
Salinsile had led the faction of Osun APC loyal to the ex-governor, Rauf Aregbesola, and mounted fierce opposition to ex-governor Adegboyega Oyetola, running on the platform of the APC, from getting a second term in office on July 16, 2022 governorship poll, at the peak of the inter-party crisis that ravaged the then ruling party in the state.
The ex-state lawmaker had been listed as the chairman of the Teaching Service Commission by Adeleke last week Thursday.
Although Salinsile did not openly reject the appointment immediately after his name was announced, it was however learnt that he contacted the governor thereafter and declined the offer.
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At the swearing-in of the chairmen of boards on Wednesday, Salinsile was noticeably missing and in another list released by the government, Tope Mustapha Adeyemi had replaced him as TESCOM Chairman.
When contacted on the phone on Thursday, Salinsile said he declined the appointment for personal reasons.
He simply said, “I declined it for personal reasons.”