Na’Abba, Others Make Ministerial List

President Goodluck Jonathan is set to send fresh list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and clearance. The nominees are to fill the 10 vacant slots in the 42-member Federal Executive Council (FEC)

This followed last week’s screening of the ministerial nominees by the security and anti-graft agencies.

According to National Mirror, some of the nominees have been screened by the State Security Service, SSS.

“As at Wednesday last week, four of the ministerial nominees have been screened,” an insider told National Mirror yesterday. The source added that screening is being done in batches.

Spokeswoman of SSS, Marylyn Ogar, did not pick her call or respond to text message sent to her phone yesterday.

National Mirror, however learnt that Umar Ghaali Na’Abba, former speaker of the House of Representatives, has been nominated from Kano State, while Senator Isaiah Balat, Special Adviser to Vice- President Namadi Sambo on Special Duties, was picked to represent Kaduna State.

Mr. Jide Adeniji, incumbent chairman of the Federal Emergency Road Management Agency, FERMA from Osun State also made the list.

Former chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore, had submitted four nominees – Adeniji, Francis Fadahunsi, a retired Customs officer; Mrs. Remi Olowu, former chairperson, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA; Mrs. Funmi Olaseinde, a former local government chairman – for Osun State out of which Adeniji was picked. Adeniji is a close friend of the President.

It is not clear if former governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna, made the final list. A source said the Presidency conceded the Adamawa slot to the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

It was learnt that the corruption cases against Haruna and former governor of Jigawa State, Senator Saminu Turaki, worked against their emergence.

Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio, nominated one of his associates for the Akwa Ibom slot.

It was learnt that President Jonathan sidelined the aggrieved PDP governors in the choice of the ministerial nominees.

For instance, in Rivers State, the President singlehandedly picked the nominee to replace Ama Pepple unlike what obtained in the past when Governor Rotimi Amaechi was the one that picked the state’s representative.

The same thing is applicable in Niger, Kano and Jigawa states where Governors Aliyu Babangida, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Sule Lamido were sidelined.

It was further learnt that the zonal ministerial slot for the South-West has been taken away from Ogun State, thus leaving out the input of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the selection process. Lagos is being favoured to produce the zonal slot.

President Jonathan had on Wednesday September 11 sacked nine ministers. The affected ministers were Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru; Education, Ruqqayatu Rufai; National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman; Land and Urban Development, Ama Pepple; Environment, Hadiza Mailafia; Science and Technology, Ita Ewa.

Three Ministers of State were also affected by the exercise. They included Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada; Power, Hajia Zainab Kuchi, and Agriculture, Tijani Bukar.

Before the September 11 sack, the President had on August 26 relieved the Minister of Youth Development, Inuwa Abdulkadir, of his appointment over the outcome of the recent controversial election of new executives of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYC