Sufuyan Ojeifo
18 November 2008
Abuja — After weeks of uncertainty, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua last night forwarded a list of 13 ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
The number fell short of the number that was dropped recently in a cabinet shake-up that saw 20 of the 48 ministers lose their jobs.
The list was sent to Senate President David Mark, through the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji.
Abba-Aji and Special Assistant to the President in charge of the Senate, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, were scheduled to meet yesterday night with the leadership of the Senate on the list.
The specific agenda of the meeting were not known at the time of filing this report.
But there were indications that the Presidency, through Abba-Aji might explain to the Senate leadership the reasons why only 13 nominees were being forwarded for now.
Last year, Presidency had forwarded the list in two batches, while some names were dropped and substituted in the process of screening the second batch of nominees.
Delayed security screening and clearance had contributed to the development.
The same factor has, so far, been partly responsible for the slowness that the process of replacing the dropped ministers has suffered.
THISDAY gathered authoritatively yesterday night that those who made the list included former Minister of Petroleum, Alhaji Rilwanu Lukman (Kaduna), former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Ominiyi Egwu (Ebonyi), Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Dora Akunyili (Anambra), Alhaji Shettima Mustapaha (Borno), Dr. Ibrahim Lame (Bauchi), Mr Bunu Uwais (Kaduna) and Professor Babatunde Oshoti-mehin (Ogun).
The names of the nominees, barring any changes in plan, which is an executive communication from the President, will be read today, under announcement, on the floor of the Senate by Senator Mark.
The announcement of the names would set the stage for the scheduling of the screening in the Committee of the whole Senate on the Senate order paper by the Rules and Business Committee.
THISDAY had reported recently that Yar'Adua was considering giving up headship of the Ministry of Energy and appoint a substantive minister.
Lukman, currently Honorary Adviser on Energy to the President, topped the list.
The current Minister of State for Energy (Power), Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, is also being considered, although THISDAY was informed that if he gets the job, the Minister of Niger Delta will have to come from another geo-political zone for "balancing sake".
"The President believes the ministry is very key to the success of his administration and would want somebody with full ministerial powers to head it," a Federal Government official had told the newspaper. "Yar'Adua wants to undertake serious reforms in the sector. He wants that to be his legacy. He knows the sensitive nature of the ministry and he either keeps it or gives it out to someone who can do the job very well."
Yar'Adua's preference for Lukman is said to have been reinforced by the fact that Lukman headed the Power Sector Reform Committee which submitted its report to the President last June.
"The President believes Lukman is in a better position to implement the report and the recommendations," the source added.
The committee had recommended the suspension of privatisation of the power sector. It said Nigeria needs $85 billion (about N10.2 trillion) to meet her 20,000 megawatts electricity target by 2020.
It had also said the sum would be expended on the ailing sector in the next 12 years in order to achieve government's short, medium and long term target as contained in the Power Sector Masterplan.
It also recommended that 60-70 per cent of the country's electricity requirement would be dependent on gas, while the remaining are hydro, coal and solar. Lukman warned then that while gas-related electricity accounts for about 70 per cent of total requirement, unless there was peace in the Niger Delta, the nation's quest for adequate power supply would be a mirage.
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