President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list is almost ready to be sent to the National Assembly, according to a report in today’s edition of The PUNCH.
The paper quoted an informed source as saying: “I learned that Tinubu’s ministerial list is almost done. He kept a core of ministers to himself, heavily influenced by the kitchen cabinet of SAs.
“The politicians are in ‘Bolekaja’ over the rest. It’s a slugfest now.”
The report said that Tinubu, who is expected to return to the country today from his private visit to the UK, would submit the list to the National Assembly upon resuming in Abuja next week after celebrating the Eid el-Kabir festival in his Lagos home.
In March, Tinubu’s Spokesman, Dele Alake, had said that the then President-elect would constitute his cabinet within one month of assuming office.
Alake said this is in line with the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, mandating Presidents-elect and governors-elect to submit the names of their ministerial and commissioner-nominees within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.
He said, “I told you in an earlier interview that it didn’t take Asiwaju more than three weeks to form his cabinet as governor.
“That was as at that time. I think 60 days is even too much.
A month, maximum, is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in.”
Re-echoing the narrative, the then Director of Media and Publicity for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, said: “What I can assure you is that even if the list is not ready on the first day, it will not take Asiwaju more than one month to put his cabinet together. He definitely will not wait for 60 days to assemble a competent cabinet.”
In 2015, Nigerians lamented the delay by the Buhari administration in appointing ministers, which took about six months to form its cabinet.
Credit: THE PUNCH, NEWS EXPRESS.
