10 interesting facts you need to know about Buhari’s #MinisterialList

At the sitting of the senate on Tuesday, Senate President Bukola Saraki read out the names of ministerial nominees sent to the senate by President Muhammadu Buhari last week Thursday.

The list contained the names of 21 nominees who will be screened by the Senate before their appointment as ministers can become valid, in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian constitution.

This is a breakdown of all you need to know about the nominees.

1. There are 8 lawyers on the list

There are eight people who have been called to the Nigerian Bar on the list, namely Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN; Senator Aisha Alhassan; Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN; Mr Adebayo Shittu; Mr Solomon Dalong; Mr Ibe Kachikwu; Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and Senator Udoma Udo-Udoma

2. There are two medical doctors, one was the Edo state campaign coordinator for Buhari

The first is Dr Chris Ngige who is better known for his years as Anambra state governor and a not too spectacular stint in the senate; while the other is Dr Osagie Enahire, trained at the College of Medicine, Ludwig Maximillians University, Munich. He also holds a post-graduate diploma from the Teaching Hospital of the University of Dusseldorf and Essen, Germany, specialising in Anaesthesiology, General Surgery and Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery. Dr Enahire was also the Edo state coordinator for the Buhari Campaign Organisation.

3. The ratio of men to women is 7:1

There are only three women on the 21-member list. Sen Aisha Alhassan who contested to be governor of Taraba state but lost; economist and former Ogun state commissioner for finance, Ms Kemi Adeosun; and special adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Post-2015 Development, Ms Amina Mohammed. On the other hand, there are 18 men on the list.

4. Chairman of the president’s one and only bank, Union Bank is on the list

You remember when senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu disclosed the assets declared by President Muhammadu Buhari, he was said to have only one account, in Union Bank. Well, Sen Udoma Udo-Udoma who is on the list of ministerial nominees, is the present chairman of Union Bank, a position he has held since 2013. Some people will make of this what they may, especially when they remember that as APC presidential aspirant, Buhari said he got a loan of N27 million from his bank to purchase his nomination form. But I think his handlers said he was only kidding.

5. There are 5 former governors on the list (5 if we consider Ngige)

You can easily remember that up until May 29, 2015, the duo of Babatunde Fashola and Rotimi Amaechi were governors of Lagos and Rivers states respectively. About 8 months before then, Kayode Fayemi lost his re-election bid as governor of Ekiti state. Also before then, Dr Chris Ngige was governor of Anambra state between May 29, 2003 (his claim to the throne was voided by the court) and March 17, 2006. Chief Ogbonnaya Onu who was the first governor of Abia state from 1992 to 1993.

6. Two people on the list are former party national chairmen, one is a current spokesman

It is interesting to note that the current APC government will have in its cabinet, if approved by the Senate, a former chairman of the major opposition party, PDP and that is in the person of Chief Audu Ogbeh who was PDP chairman between 2001 and January 2005, and Federal Minister of communications from 1982 to 1983.

On the other hand, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu was chairman of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) till the party merged with other constituent parts of APC.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed who has also been nominated as a minister is presently the national publicity secretary of the APC.

7. The Afri-Projects Consortium angle

The major contractor with PTF when Buhari was chairman has its founder and Principal consultant on the list: Media reports suggest that when President Muhammadu Buhari was the chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, the Afri-Projects Consortium was a major contractor that executed many of the projects of the PTF across the country. Founder of Afri-Projects Consortium, Ms Amina Mohammed has been nominated as minister alongside the Principal Consultant of the Consortium at the time, Engr. Suleiman Adamu whose profile indicates he is a civil engineer who supervised many construction works across the country for the PTF. There was once a N25 billion fraud allegation against the Consortium but in this report from February 2015, the Consortium says it has been cleared.

8. ‘Disgraced’ former deputy governor of Niger state made the list

This is perhaps a story of zero to hero in the making. Mr Ahmed Isa Ibeto was the Niger state deputy governor who was sent out of a meeting on February 11, 2015 by the former governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu after Ibeto decamped to the APC. Ibeto had contested for the governorship ticket of the PDP but could not get the support of former Governor Aliyu and lost. Ibeto only narrowly survived an impeachment plot. When Aliyu was travelling for lesser hajj on February 18, 2015, he side-stepped Ibeto and temporarily handed over to the Speaker of the House.

9. Only one man with military background

That is General Abdurahman Dambazau who was the chief of army staff under former President Umar Yar’adua. It may perhaps not be so hard to imagine what his designation will be if he passes the senate screening, but let us wait till he does that.

10. There are four former senators on the list

Sen Chris Ngige, Sen Aisha Alhassan, Sen Udoma Udo-Udoma and Sen Sirika Hadi are former occupants of the red chambers of the national assembly where they will be returning to be screened as ministerial nominees. It will be interesting to see whether they will simply be allowed to take a bow as we witnessed during the 7^th senate presided over by Senator David Mark.