Buhari Pencils Technocrats, Others as Ministers

Nigerians are in for a big surprise and inevitable disappointment as President Muhammadu Buhari, who has promised to name his cabinet in September, is expected to forward the ministerial list to the National Assembly before September 26.

Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are said to be in the dark over the composition of the cabinet.

But a source close to the Presidency, indicated that the list as currently compiled, is dominated by technocrats with very few politicians.

According to the source, “Some of the party leaders have been given the privilege of nominating people into the cabinet. Some governors have also been given a similar privilege. But going by previous appointments made by the president, we have resigned to fate. President Buhari is unpredictable”

President Buhari had, in the heat of pressures mounted on him by Nigerians in July on appointments of ministers, declared that he will name his cabinet members in September.

Buhari, at the time, said he would not allow himself to be rushed into making such appointments since it would not be ideal for a minister to be appointed and sacked within few weeks or months of engagement.

He explained then that an audit was being carried out in the various ministries to ascertain the level of rot in them before appointing ministers for their cleansing.

Before President Buhari’s September date for appointment of ministers, notable APC chieftains such as former governors of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Anambra State’s, Senator Chris Ngige; Ekiti State’s, Kayode Fayemi and Osun State’s, Olagunsoye Oyinlola were widely believed to have been pencilled down for the crucial appointments.

Others being touted was former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who was widely speculated as FCT minister designate.

The appointments, sources further said, are likely to be in the mode of the recent ones that saw the emergence of a non-politician, such as Babachir David Lawal, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), against widely held expectations that a party chieftain like Chief Ogbonaya Onu, former governor of Abia State and National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) would be given the post.