BUHARI GIVES JUICY PORTFOLIOS TO SOUTHERN NIGERIA

President holds on to petroleum portfolio,
slashes ministries to 24
Says he placed round pegs in round holes

In a country gripped by ethno-political balancing,
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday moved
to narrow the fault line that divides the North and
the South by assigning most of the key portfolios
of his administration to Nigerians of southern
origin.
The president also made good his promise to
rationalise the public sector by slashing the
number of ministries from 29 to 24.
Since he assumed office on May 29, Buhari has
been widely criticised for appointing mostly
northerners to non-ministerial but key positions
in government.
Prior to the inauguration of the cabinet, Nigerians
of northern extraction accounted for almost 80
per cent of the president's appointments, relative
to 20 per cent allotted to southerners.
But yesterday, any concerns that may have arisen
over Buhari's choice of government functionaries
to drive home his plan for socio-economic
prosperity was laid to rest with the appointment
of Babatude Fashola (Lagos) as Minister of Power,
Works and Housing; Adebayo Shittu (Oyo) as
Minister of Communications; Isaac Adewole
Folorunsho (Osun) as Minister of Health; Kayode
Fayemi (Ekiti) as Minister of Solid Minerals; and
Kemi Adeosun (Ogun) as Minister of Finance,
representing the South-west geopolitical zone.
From the South-south zone, those with key
appointments included Udoma Udo Udoma
(Akwa Ibom) as Minister of Budget and National
Planning; Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) as Minister of
Transportation; Ibe Kachikwu (Delta) as Minister
of State for Petroleum Resources; and Usani
Usani Uguru (Cross River) as Minister of Niger
Delta.
The South-east produced Okey Enelamah (Abia)
as Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment,
and Geoffrey Oyeama (Enugu) as Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
However, a closer review showed that the North
still got other key positions such as Audu Ogbeh
from Benue State in North-central Nigeria, who
will man the crucial Agriculture and Rural
Development Ministry, Ms. Amina Mohammed
from Gombe in the North-east will superintend
over the Environment Ministry, while Alhaji
Adamu Adamu from Bauchi in the North-east with
oversee the Education Ministry.
More significantly, the areas of law enforcement
and security was left entirely in the hands of
Abdulrahman Dambazzau (Minister of Interior)
from Kano in the North-west, Mosur Dan-Ali
(Minister of Defence) from Zamfara in the North-
west, and Abubakar Malami (Attorney-General of
the Federation and Minister of Justice) from
Kebbi, also in the North-west.
Buhari kept to his word by keeping the portfolio
of Minister of Petroleum Resources, where he will
be assisted by Kachikwu who still doubles as the
Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Other ministers who were assigned their
portfolios after their swearing-in yesterday
included: Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger) who was
made Minister of State for Solid Minerals;
Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa) - Minister of
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); Senator Aisha
Alhassan (Taraba) - Minister of Women Affairs; Lai
Mohammed (Kwara) - Minister of Information and
Culture; Chief Ogbonaya Onu (Ebonyi) - Minister
of Science and Technology; and Mrs. Zainab
Shamshuna Ahmed (Kaduna) - Minister of State,
Budget and National Planning.
Others were: Prof. Anthony Gozie Anwuka (Imo)
who was announced Minister of State for
Education; Mr. James Ocholi (Kogi) - Minister of
State for Labour and Employment; Senator Chris
Ngige (Anambra) – Minister of Labour and
Employment; Senator Heineken Lokpobiri
(Bayelsa) – Minister of State for Agriculture and
Rural Development; Mustapha Shehuri (Borno) –
Minister of State for Power; Prof. Claudius
Daramola (Ondo) – Minister of State for Niger
Delta; Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe) –
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Ms. Aisha
Abubakar (Sokoto) – Minister of State for Trade,
Industry and Investment; Ibrahim Usman Jibril
(Nasarawa) – Minister of State for Environment;
and Osagie Ehanire (Edo) – Minister of State for
Health.
Others that were assigned portfolios were:
Solomon Dalong (Plateau) – Minister of Youth and
Sports; Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa) – Minister of
Water Resources; and Senator Hadi Sirika
(Katsina) – Minister of State for Aviation.
Speaking after the swearing-in of the cabinet, the
president asked the ministers to justify the
confidence he and the nation had reposed in
them.
The president said he consulted widely before
selecting his ministers and allocating portfolios to
them, adding that he and his deputy, Yemi
Osinbajo, had been mindful of the need to
constitute a cabinet that would best deliver their
expectations of a better country than what they
inherited.
He said: "We want to work towards a prosperous
nation respected for the right reasons, and whose
citizens can hold up their heads anywhere in the
world."
The president also expressed optimism that
bringing the current batch of ministers to serve
the country was a step in the right direction,
describing it as "a timely move towards realising
their goals for our country".
The president said since he assumed office in
May, he had been mindful of the need to ensure
that the appointment of new ministers translated
into putting round pegs in round holes while
showing sensitivity to the nation's diversity.
"I have also been conscious of the need not to
repeat such mistakes of the past where the right
people were allocated the wrong portfolios, which
translated into their performing poorly to our
collective detriment despite their obvious
capabilities.
"Also, I have responded to the counsel to consult
as widely as possible, given the need to build a
stable and all-inclusive government by reaching
across our various ethnic and political divides," he
said.
He noted that with the inauguration of ministers,
his government would continue more decisively
to implement its policies in respect of the
economy and in other areas.
"While working hard to maximise revenue from oil
in the face of a sharp decline in the price for the
commodity, we are determined to diversify the
economy in agriculture to enhance employment
and explore solid minerals as a major revenue
earner," he added.
According to him, the primary aim is to achieve
self-sufficiency in the production of staple foods
such as rice and wheat and to become a major
consumer and exporter of both items as well as
solid minerals.
He promised that his government would pursue
policies that would generate massive employment
for millions of youths, and reiterated his
determination and focus to ensure improved
security for the country and its citizens, and
without letting up in the government's fight
against corruption.
"Our commitment to defeat Boko Haram and all
the threats it constitutes remains as strong as
ever. So is our resolve to root out vices such as
kidnapping and neutralise the various forms of
criminalities that threaten the social peace of
Nigerians," he said and expressed the view that in
the moral sphere, trust was slowly but steadily
being re-established between the government
and the people.
"Now, when the government speaks, the people
listen; and when the people's expectations are
not met, they appreciate that it is not for lack of
commitment or trying on the part of government.
In effect, government business is now being
conducted with transparency and cynicism is
waning as a result," he added.
Buhari said the adoption of the Treasury Single
Account (TSA) had resulted in the blocking of
leakages in the public sector, making more funds
available for the business of governance and
ensuring the welfare of citizens.
He added that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
had also assisted more than 30 states with
concessionary loans to offset the salary arrears of
their workers.
"On the monetary side, the CBN has also
implemented country-specific and innovative
policies that have helped to stabilise the exchange
rate and conserve our reserves."
He urged the ministers to proceed to work
speedily and do their utmost to justify the
confidence placed in them not only by their
conduct but also by their performance in their
various positions, adding that the economy is
poised for sustained job creation, poverty
reduction and inclusive growth.
"Regardless of the present challenges we are
confronting, I believe all Nigerians will keep hope
alive and sustain their optimism about the future
of our economic well being," he stated.