As President Bola Tinubu is anticipated to present the much anticipated ministerial list to the National Assembly in the next 24 hours for review, Nigerians have demanded economic growth.
An anonymous presidential aide told Propolitics on Tuesday that the President waited until the very last minute to submit the list to make sure it was comprehensive and representative of what was best for the nation.
The insider said that the list, which is anticipated to include a mix of technocrats and tried-and-true politicians, would include more technocrats who would aid in advancing the President’s Renewed Hope program for the ensuing four years.
The President and Governors must submit the names of the nominees for their ministerial and commissioner positions to the Senate or state House of Assembly for confirmation within 60 days of taking the oath of office, according to the Fifth Amendment to the 1999 Constitution.
Law requires Tinubu, who took office as president on May 29, to submit his cabinet list to the Senate before July 29.
Speaking against the backdrop of the constitutional deadline, the presidential aide said, “President Bola Tinubu will transmit the ministerial list to the National Assembly tomorrow (today). He has stretched the transmission of the list to the federal lawmakers to ensure that he gets it right. One thing is certain, the list is going to be a mixture of technocrats and tested politicians.
“The President has made it clear that his decisions for the next four years, starting with the ministerial list, would be guided by what is right for Nigeria and not political considerations.”
When pressed for the names on the list, another aide, who did not want his name mentioned, said, “One thing we have been told is that the ministerial list is something the Commander-in-Chief is keeping close to his chest.”
However, in the last few weeks, various names had been bandied around as possible ministerial nominees, including former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; ex-Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike; Wale Edun; the Special Adviser, Monetary Policies and a host of technocrats and politicians.
Tinubu sought prayers
Meanwhile, the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Tuesday, said the President sought prayers of Nigerians for him to make the right choice.
Bamidele disclosed this while speaking in Abuja at his 60th birthday lecture and book presentation titled: “Leadership through Communication.”
Bamidele said Tinubu, who was billed to be the father of the day, called to say he could not make it to the event because of ongoing work to ensure that the ministerial list is delivered to the Senate in the next 48 hours.
He said, “At 10.03am this morning, Mr President, was on the phone. He said to me ‘Opeyemi, I need to make myself unavailable in the next 48 hours because a correspondence must come to the Senate, a very crucial correspondence.’
“Mr President prayed for me. He asked me to give the phone to my wife and he prayed for my wife.
“He said the two of us should join the rest of Nigerians and pray for him to be able to make the right decision on the list in 24 hours so that when Nigerians hear the list of his ministers they will say ‘yes, this is uncommon.’”
