Technocrats and academics form bulk of Buhari's second list of ministerial nominees

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari's second list of ministerial nominees which was submitted to the senate yesterday is believed to contain more technocrats than politicians as he aims to balance his cabinet with ministers who will compliment All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts.

 

Earlier this month, President Buhari sent a list of 21 names to the senate for confirmation and as expected, it included several APC bigwigs like former governors Babatunde Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi. Yesterday, a further 15 names were sent to senate president Senator Bukola Saraki but this was made up mainly of technocrats like Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, Professor Isaac Adewole and Professor Claudis Daramola.

 

Although the list has not yet been formally announced, it is believed to include the likes of Dr Enelamah (Abia State), James Ocholi (Kogi State), Professor Adewole (Osun State), Professor Daramola (Ondo State) and Hon  Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe State). Some of the president's close associates including Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Hadiza Musa, who works at the presidency, are also thought to be on the list.

 

Senator Ita Enang, the senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters, confirmed that the list had been handed over but refused to disclose the identities of those on it. Senator Saraki will read them out when the senate resumes the screening of nominees later on today.

 

Yesterday, strong indications emerged that in spite of petitions against them, the former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and former special adviser to the secretary-general of the United Nations on Millennium Development Goals, Amina Ibrahim, would be among the nominees for screening commencing today. This was as a result of the subtle clearance given to them by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which deliberated on the petitions against them but refused to bar them.

 

Senator Sam Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East), the committee chairman, ruled that since issues raised in the petition against Governor Amaechi by the Integrity Group from Rivers State on alleged N72bn fraud are already subjects of litigation, the committee, in line with the Senate Rule, cannot treat the petition. Amina Mohammed was given outright clearance by the committee since the petition  against her by the Southern Kaduna Coalition was predicated on the assumption that her nomination by the president was for Kaduna State and not Gombe, her natural state of origin.

 

Others thought to be on the new list include veteran journalist Alhaji Adamu Adamu, Professor Anthony Anwuka (Imo State), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa State), Brigadier Dan Ali and Hajia Aisha Abubakar. Dr Enelamah, a medical doctor, who is the co-founder of African Capital Alliance, a leading private equity firm on the African continent, has a wealth of experience in investment banking having worked for Goldman Sachs in London and New York and is being tipped as a possible trade and industry minister.