President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded his request to the Senate for the confirmation of the seven ministerial nominees appointed Wednesday.
This followed a major cabinet reshuffle where 5 ministers were dropped, and two ministries namely; that of Niger Delta, and Sports were scrapped.
While Ministry of Regional Development came in place of Niger Delta, the National Sports Commission (NSC) was brought back in place of the sports ministry.
In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and read at the beginning of the plenary, Thursday, President Tinubu listed the names of the nominees and their portfolios as: Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda; Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, and Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu.
Others are Minister of Industry, Trade and Development, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muktar Maiha; Minister of State, Housing Yusuf Abdullahi Ata and, Minister of State, Education, Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad.
The president sought for expeditious consideration of his request by the Senate.
After Akpabio read the letter, the Senate referred the presidential request to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
He said: “Distinguished colleagues, the presidential request is referred to the committee of the whole for consideration very soon.”
…APC women leader, CSOs, others on expectations
Meanwhile, Nigerians, including members of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), in separate interviews with Blueprint, are setting agenda for the new ministers on what should be their priorities after their inauguration.
Reacting to the development through a statement, Thursday, National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Mary Alile Idele, specifically urged the newly appointed Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, to prioritise the implementation of policies focused on combating gender-based violence and support for vulnerable women across Nigeria.
“I urge you to work towards implementing policies that combat gender-based violence and support vulnerable women in the country,” she said.
Idele added: “Her appointment is not only a victory for women in Nigeria but also a testament to President Tinubu’s visionary leadership and the APC’s commitment to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in our society.”
Idele emphasised the importance of visionary leadership in addressing the numerous challenges faced by women and girls in Nigeria.
She called on the nominee to leverage her position to champion initiatives that would provide women with greater access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
…Rafsanjani
In his own comment, Executive Director Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) said nothing fundamental had happened.
He said: “If you are talking about reducing the cost of governance, it is expected that it should limit the number of Ministers to the constitutional requirements but that is not what we have seen in this reshufflement, nothing has changed.”
Also, a public affairs analyst, Mr Jide Ojo, said the cabinet rejig was long overdue because Nigerians were craving for it.
He, however, said Nigerians are yet to see the reduction in the cost of governance with the appointments because the running cost of government will continue to inflate.
“I wonder why the President should have more women dropped when gender gaps are yet to be closed. There are still more exclusion in the cabinet and I think they should have taken more youths, more women and more Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) on that list.
“I expected that if the President can sack the Minister of Sports, he should also sack the Minister of Police Affairs because there is already a constitutional body called the Police Service Commission and that body needs better funding, better resources to perform the constitutional roles of recruiting and promoting Police personnel,” he said.
…Opinions differ on Yilwatda
Also, Founder/Chief Executive Officer Atum Humanitarian and Charitable Initiative Ismaila Yusuf Atum, implored the ministerial-nominee in charge of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, to initiate people-friendly policies, to address poverty.
Atum said: “I congratulate the new minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction. As a politician, we urge him to be liberal. The post he occupies today is meant for poor people.
“So, we urge him to feed a lot of Nigerians at a critical time that people are suffering. We encourage him to search for fund all over the world to assist the masses. He should not look as if he is the minister and the post is for a big man.
“This is a poor-people post, and he should work with all the NGOs that are putting effort to assist humanity in this country. We urge him to work and we are going to work with him tirelessly.
“This is the time the people need the government. Politicians should join the bandwagon to assist the masses. They cannot continue to stash their money abroad.”
Unlike Atum foundation, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) rejected the choice of Yilwatda, citing the need for a female leader to effectively address Nigeria’s pressing humanitarian challenges.
Comrade Mohammed Abdulrazak Ibrahim, while speaking on behalf of the coalition, expressed strong objections to Yilwatda’s nomination, arguing that appointing a woman to the position would bring essential perspectives and experiences vital for the ministry’s success.
They vowed to mobilise public support to highlight the importance of female leadership in humanitarian affairs.
The coalition similarly faulted Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu’s choice, querying what her contribution was to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Furthermore, the coalition faulted Tinubu’s nomination of the former Minister of State Police Affairs as women affairs minister, alleging she didn’t fare well in the previous position.
…Civil servants, traders too
Also, Yakubu Abdullahi, a civil servant, commended the president’s move and courage to reshuffle the cabinet, urging him not to hesitate to bring out any other minister found wanting.
In her view, a petty trader, Mrs Jane Olukolade, said the “president must continue to demonstrate his commitment to results and accountability. It is clear that Nigerians are hungry for change and expect the president to take bold action.”
For Elvis Ekah, a youth, Nigerians expected more drastic measures to address the country’s challenges with many calling for further action to address insecurity, economic stagnation, corruption and infrastructure decay.
Also, in its reaction, The Renewed Hope Agenda – The Way Forward Group, said: “There’s no gainsaying the fact that the success or failure of a government is dependent upon the calibre of technocrats and personnel within the government and rightly so, President Tinubu’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet for reasons of underperformance and under-delivery is commendable as it is a wake up call for those coming in to up their games to achieve the set goals.”
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Frank S Nwaforbe, they said “clearly, the body language of the President is that there’s no room for slacking or complacency. You have been appointed to serve the people and you must come to the table with something meaningful to offer.
“This step and efforts by the President to get rid of Bello Turji cabinet members is clearly an indication of a government driven by goals and prepared beyond mere promises to see its manifestations. It is on this note that whoever has made it to the new cabinet, both returning and newly appointed ministers, must embrace this call to service and give of their best to save our nation from further plunging into the dungeon of endless suffering and pains.
“It is the belief of the Renewed Hope Agenda- The Way Forward Group that Nigerians are just about to experience a renewed strength and passion in public service as all efforts shall be geared towards restoring confidence and the hopes of Nigerians in the Tinubu’s led administration whose primary goal is to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.”
…Wayamadi
In another reaction,a lead consultant at Classic Antidotes Consults, Bino Julius Wayamdi, said the new ministerial nominees have been given blank cheques to outperform those they were replacing.
Wayamdi said: “To be given ministerial appointment is to be given a blank cheque to perform excellently. No justification for underperformance. The incoming ministers should know that their nomination is a call to duty. They are replacing someone because more is desired in the nation building.”