Controversy swirls around the inauguration of 45 confirmed ministers-designate as they gather at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. This development comes merely days after President Bola Tinubu disclosed a lineup of portfolios for these appointees, which underwent further scrutiny on Sunday.
Prominent among the current roles is the appointment of former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike as the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wale Edun as Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola overseeing Marine and Blue Economy, David Umahi handling Works, Festus Keyamo in charge of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and Betta Edu responsible for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Notably, a number of individuals are also set to take office, including Bosun Tijani in Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Ishak Salaco in State, Environment, and Ecological Management, and Lola Ade-John as Minister of Tourism, to name a few.
An aspect of intrigue lies in the delay in designating the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management. The Presidency’s move to assign this ministry to Kaduna State suggests it might be reserved for Nasir El-Rufai, who has recently faced Senate non-confirmation due to unresolved security clearances.
El-Rufai’s non-confirmation has sparked a controversy, triggering tensions between him and the Presidency. Federal Character News reported that the ex-governor shared a cryptic message on X, drawing parallels with lyrics from Bob Marley’s song ‘Who The Cap Fit,’ alluding to possible traitors.
Additionally, President Tinubu has made adjustments to his ministerial team. Notably, he shifted Adegboyega Oyetola from the Ministry of Transportation to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. Abubakar Momoh also witnessed a shift from the Federal Ministry of Youth to the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Development.
Certainly not all Nigerians agree that Tinubu’s team of ministers is great. Just a few days ago, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, criticized President Bola Tinubu’s choices for ministers.
Momodu claimed that Tinubu’s list of ministers is worse than the one put together by the previous President, Muhammadu Buhari. He mentioned that some of Tinubu’s ministers are not well-known, which is different from what we had in the past.
He shared these thoughts during a recent episode of a podcast called “Mic On.” Momodu pointed out that a former governor named Nasir El-Rufai was much better when he was a minister under the PDP.
Momodu thinks that every leader can do well if they have good advisors and actually listen to them. He compared it to a journalist who needs corrections to avoid spreading fake news. He also said that for a leader to succeed, their team is important, and he believes that the current team is worse than Buhari’s.
He expected a group of exceptional people in the cabinet, similar to the remarkable individuals in Ibrahim Babangida’s time. He remembered names like Akinyele, Bolaji Akinyemi, Bolasodun Ajibola, Tai Solarin, and Wole Soyinka from that period.
Momodu criticized the fact that someone was on their way to being screened for a position and was removed. He found this embarrassing and believed it showed that proper checks weren’t done before appointing people.
So, my fellow Nigerians, how do you view this cabinet? Is it giving or not, as the Gen Z generation might say?
