(Must Read) Ministerial list: The politics, the intrigues

After 124 days of suspense, President Muhammadu Buhari  on Wednesday submitted his much-awaited list of ministerial nominees to the senate for screening and approval. Managing Editor YUSUF ALLI revisits the politics and the intrigues behind the nominations.

At the nick of time, President Muhammadu Buhari surprised his anxious compatriots with a list of his “dream team”. He lived up to his promise that members his

cabinet would be named in September. Like a true soldier, Buhari employed element of surprise which caught his detractors unawares. At a time the phones were buzzing with condemnation for not submitting ministerial list, his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari and Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, showed up at the Office of the Senate President at about 5.20pm on Wednesday to make the list available to the legislature. The surprise package changed the tune of discourse in the media and public space, especially on the internet. The Senate had risen from plenary at about 1.30pm and adjourned till October 6.

 Sticking to his “slow and steady” style, the President was painstaking in picking his team and he chose the 55th Independence broadcast to explain the three-month delay.

“Our government set out to do things methodically and properly. We received the handing over notes from the outgoing government only four days before taking over. Consequently, the Joda Transition Committee submitted its report on the reorganisation of the Federal Government structure after studying the handover notes. It would have been haphazard to announce ministers when the government had not finalised the number of ministries to optimally carry the burden of governance,” the President said in his nationwide address yesterday.

What Buhari did not tell Nigerians was that the delay helped him to conserve N845.558 million accruable to 42 ministers. The figure excludes the salaries and allowances for three ministerial aides, escort drivers and police orderlies.

The President has saved N79, 578, 709.56 as salaries for would-be 42 ministers between May 29 and September 30 and N765, 979, 200 savings (at about N18, 237,600 for each minister) for accommodation, furniture and vehicle loans.

According to a document obtained from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the monthly salary of a minister is about N631,577.60  including: basic salary (N168,866:66); vehicle fuelling and maintenance (N126,650); personal assistant (N42,216.66); domestic staff (N126,650); entertainment (N75,990); utilities (N50,660); monitoring (N33,773.33) and newspapers/periodicals (N25,330).

Besides, a minister entitled to about N18, 237,600 covering the following allowances: accommodation (N4, 052,800); furniture (N6,079,200) and vehicle loan (N8,105,600) on assumption of office.

The politics of the ministerial nomination

Although the President on Wednesday submitted a list of 21 ministerial nominees as the first set of names (out of a minimum of 36 and maximum of 42) for screening and approval, Nigerians are eager to know the mindset of the President and the parameter he used in picking those on the list.  Investigations showed that five factors determined the nomination of ministers by the President. These are:  strict adherence to principle of non-interference in choosing his cabinet; integrity or pedigree; selfless service; old acquaintances and less exposure to political influence.

For the first time, ex-Presidents/Heads of State, governors, ex-governors, members of the National Assembly,  political god-fathers  and even the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had less input into the ministerial nominees. It was learnt that Buhari received a heap of recommendations but his usual response, laced with infectious smile to defuse tension, was “noted, alright’ amidst intermittent nodding. Most of the lobbyists went away with satisfaction that their candidates will make it but the more the lobbying, the less the chance of such candidates.

A highly-placed source in the presidency said: “Buhari was his own man in choosing his cabinet although he took certain factors into consideration. Those who came to advise him assisted in providing direction or guiding his mind. At a point, the APC leadership could not give exact situation of things.

“He has done away with appointments based on favouritism, god-fatherism and egoism.

“Apart from merit, Buhari gave ministerial slots to those who have the ability, those who can deliver and those he had trusted over the years including those who worked with him when he held the forte as chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and those in the trenches with him in the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC). He has rewarded selflessness, perseverance and loyalty.”

Untold story of how 21  Nigerians made first list.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed is the ebullient media face of the struggle for change that brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power. A research-based media manager, Mohammed started as a lone ranger in leading the opposition’s campaign against the PDP before others joined the fray. He brought a new dictum that “a tree can make the difference.” A lawyer by training, but a born-journalist by nature, the history of the defeat of PDP is incomplete without mentioning the Mohammed’s name. He was a thorn in PDP’s flesh, especially when Jonathan was President. Besides keeping the ruling party on its toes, he constantly drew out the the PDP media team with his constructive criticisms. He was harassed, intimidated and detained by security agencies. A product of the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the inclusion of this Oro-born publicist of the APC in Buhari’s cabinet might just be the icing on the cake.  His inclusion on the list is also a manifestation of Buhari’s readiness for business and a sign that hard work pays. There is no doubt that Mohammed will bring his experience to bear in a higher office and add value to the Buhari administration.

Arguably the conscience of the party, Chief Audu Ogbeh’s nomination is acceptable to most party leaders. He does not suffer fool at all and his ability to call a spade a spade brought earned him the nomination on a platter of gold. A walking encyclopedia, Ogbeh has spent his political career fighting for the oppressed and warning the political class against the danger of unemployment even when he was in the conservative National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic. Buhari needs somebody in the mould of Ogbeh to drum the truth into his ears most of the times and the former Minister of Communication in the Second Republic has an overdose of wisdom.

His missionary journey into opposition politics began in 2004 when, as a sitting National Chairman of of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),  he wrote a stinking letter to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to alert the former leader that Nigeria was drifting into abyss. Though arrested and detained by the Buhari-Idiagbon military junta in 1984, destiny has brought Ogbeh and Buhari together to re-fix the nation.

A man who lives by what he preaches, Ogbeh’s natural habitat is agriculture. It won’t be a surprise if he is asked to man this portfolio. He is returning to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) after 32 years.

Notwithstanding the political mudslinging preempting his nomination, the inclusion of ex-Governor Babatunde Fashola brings a rare credibility to Buhari’s choice of ministers. Throughout the campaign by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Fashola’s sterling performance was a major selling point for the Buhari candidature against the inept PDP administration. Perceived political disagreements nothwithstanding, Fashola remains the choice of his political leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu any time. When intrigues were almost overshadowing Fashola’s nomination, Tinubu came out to clear the air to declare that the ex-governor is his son in whom he is well-pleased. Tinubu shocked Fashola’s predators in Lagos when he said: “Born of this motley stew is the recent gossip mongering that I have willfully instigated false and negative reports against former Governor Fashola to thwart him from being appointed to a major post in the Buhari administration.

“I want to declare clearly and categorically that these rancid attacks do not come from me nor do I endorse them. An attack against the performance of Governor Fashola is indirectly an attack against me and the edifice of achievements we have constructed in leading Lagos State.”

Tinubu’s voice drowned Fashola’s traducers and set the stage for Buhari’s final decision on Fashola. Either way, Tinubu takes credit for this good choice.

Mrs. Kemi Adeosun is the immediate past Finance Commissioner in Ogun State.  The ministerial nominee from the Gateway State is twice lucky as her name is among the 16 nominees forwarded to the State House of Assembly for screening by Governor Ibikunle Amosun. She has the choice of choosing between returning to the Ogun State cabinet or moving up to join the FEC. Unknown to many, her ministerial appointment came after President Muhammadu Buhari rejected Chief Bode Mustapha, a former senator, who was the anointed choice of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. It was learnt that Chief Obasanjo met with Buhari twice to market his loyal candidate, who was sacked as national auditor of the PDP because of Obasanjo. But, the President simply told the former Head of State: “If you bring a younger element, I will prefer this.” A worried Obasanjo later left the issue to Governor Ibikunle Amosun to resolve after due consultations by both leaders. The one-time commissioner is a financial expert, who has helped in the reflation of the Ogun State economy.

Dr. Osagie Ehanire appears to be a favoured candidate of a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. T.Y. Danjuma. Despite the fact that he is a Bini, he is rated as a close relation of Danjuma’s jewel Senator Daisy Danjuma. The appointment of Ehanire, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Danjuma Foundation, will add value to Buhari’s cabinet. An outstanding consultant surgeon, Ehanire is a specialist in Anesthesiology, General Surgery and orthopedic Trauma Surgery. Being a major backer of Buhari against his abandoned candidate, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, the former Defence Minister has the ears of the President because of his vision, truthfulness, contentment, and heart of gold. Neither Danjuma nor his ministerial boy will be a liability to Buhari.

Save for his on-going probe by the PDP government in Rivers State and media assaults by Governor Nyesom Wike, the nomination of ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi for a ministerial position was taken for granted. Amaechi bore a suicidal risk to dump the PDP to pitch tent with Buhari even before the APC stakeholders zeroed in on the General  as their presidential standard bearer. He laid down his life to ensure that Buhari emerged the APC candidate. In the heat of the campaign, a former governor told Amaechi: “I would have died by now if I take this kind of risk you have heaped on yourself.” Beyond being a die-hard loyalist of Buhari, the qualities which earned Amaechi the ministerial nomination are his performance records, vision and energy to render untainted service and ability to speak truth to the throne. He, will no doubt, be one minister who can tell Buhari the truth whenever he errs. His greatest asset is his love for quality projects which can stand the test of time. He has no taste for wealth acquisition, a personage which makes him fit into Buhari’s agenda.

Another ministerial nomination foretold is that of Chief Ogbonnaya Onu because of his reserved nature, academic excellence and his cosmopolitan pedigree. Onu has a string of excellent records that cannot be wished away by any puritan like Buhari. He obtained distinction in Physics and Chemistry at the Higher School Certificate examination at the College of Immaculate Conception (CIC), Enugu, graduating as the best overall student. In 1976, he graduated with a First Class honours degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Lagos.

Besides, Onu’s moral credentials make him a natural choice for a cabinet position. As an Igbo leader, he has been a consistent lone voice in the southeastern regions’ political wilderness. When the Southeast rose against Buhari, Onu withstood insults and barrage of attacks on his person for supporting a northerner. He had been a faithful follower of Buhari right from their sojourn in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

One of the eggheads and a quintessential democrat on the nomination list is ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi. He earned Buhari’s respect with his speech on the day he “purportedly lost” the Ekiti State governorship election to Mr. Ayo Fayose. Fayemi set a template for the outcome of the 2015 general election and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan wasted no time in emulating Fayemi’s model in conceding defeat to Buhari.

The international profile of Fayemi and the ex-governor’s hitch-free conduct of the APC National Convention/ Presidential Primaries informed Buhari’s decision to nominate the academic.  A hero of the struggle for the return of democracy in 1999, Fayemi has age, vision, honesty, integrity and selfless service to his advantage.  For the Ekiti State ministerial slot, Buhari was confronted with four good choices namely:  Fayemi, ex-Governor Segun Oni, Mr. Dele Alake (a one-tme Commissioner for Information & Strategy in Lagos State) and human rights activist Mr. Femi Falana, (SAN). A source in the presidency said: “To settle for Fayemi, a lot of horse-trading was involved because all the candidates from Ekiti State have impeccable characters. APC leaders were consulted at various levels and concessions were made.

“For instance, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo was interested in Oni who was humiliated from the PDP because of him. Some APC leaders were also interested in other candidates. “At a point, ex-Governor Oni untied the knotty knot when he said he was not interested in ministerial appointment. From the ministerial deal, Oni, who is increasingly becoming popular in Ekiti State because of the governance standard he set, might be APC’s likely governorship candidate in 2018.” The deal could not be independently confirmed on Thursday.

General Abdulrahman Dambazzau served as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) between 2008 and 2010 Dambazzau’s path crossed Buhari’s when he was aide-de-camp to a former COAS in 1979.  Not minding the age and career differences, Dambazau and Buhari have bonded in the last 36 years. It was therefore not surprising that he coordinated security for the APC Presidential Campaign Council during the electioneering from January to March this year. He played a similar role as the Chairman of the Security Committee of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) when Buhari took a shot at the presidency in 2011. Armed with a Ph.D in Criminology from the University of Keele in 1989, the kernel of friendship between him and Buhari is “trust”. As a military police, Dambazau said his faith in Buhari was unshakeable.

He said: “My relationship with Mr. President is not hinged on political appointment. Whether he assigns me to a particular office or not, my resolve to ensure that he succeeds remains unshakeable.”

AN ardent follower of the President, Sen. Sirika Hadi’s nomination is based on his consistent advocacy for change in the country. He went through thick and thin with Buhari when no the President had been written off politically. The pilot-turned politician, he was elected a
senator under the defunct CPC in 2011. He was one of the few who encouraged Buhari not to give up on the presidential race. In an interview on January 10, 2013, he made it clear that Buhari will run for the presidency in 2015.

The inclusion of Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in the ministerial nominee list is a reward of integrity.  He is one lawyer whose love for money is secondary. He handled much Buhari’s electoral litigation brief for free because of his belief in the President as a leader Nigeria needs. Born in Birnin Kebbi, he was a former National Legal Adviser for the CPC. He has an endless taste for sponsoring private citizen bills. He shares the same vision and belief with Buhari. In an interview in 2012, Malami said: “I think that we should continue to operate federalism as an institution but curtail the level of expenses associated with it. We do not need a full time National Assembly since it is a very costly institution.”

Born in Gombe State, Amina Mohammed, is a Special Advisor to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Post-2015 Development Planning. Her nomination is based on merit having earned a global reputation. According to the UN, “in 2005, she was “charged with the coordination of the debt relief funds ($1billion per annum) towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria. Unknown to many, she co-founded the Afri-Projects Consortium in 1991, which handled many jobs when Buhari was in the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) established by the late Gen. Abacha to manage oil windfall. The search for Mohammed came in handy because the APC in Gombe is factionalised following disagreement over protest votes during the governorship poll which the party lost to the PDP. The President could not have picked a nominee from any of the warring groups without a compounding the problem. And the APC political leader in the state, ex-Governor Danjuma Goje’s opposition to party supremacy at the Senate has not helped the situation.

The inclusion of the indefatigable Aisha Alhassan while still awaiting the outcome of her            petition at the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal drew some curiosity.

Analysts said it is either the APC has lost hope in the petition after it won Taraba Central senatorial seat at the tribunal on Wednesday or a deal is in the offing. It was gathered that the presidency might not want Alhassan to pursue her petition further because Governor Darius Ishaku of the PDP is a godson of Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, whom Buhari respects a lot.

Another source said: “The nomination of Alhassan might have been in anticipation of a loss at the tribunal.” A veteran of many legal battles, Alhassan is a Mumuye and a lawyer by training but her courage in the face of intimidation was said to have endeared her to Buhari too. Said a source: “The President believes she is going to be a source of inspiration to many women in the country. In January 2011 during PDP primaries, she defeated former Ambassador Anthony Manzo to win a senatorial ticket. She treads courageously in the midst of men.

“Even when she was unjustly sacked as the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, she fought her way through and she was justifiably reinstated many years after.”

Another meritorious hand in the list is Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). A former Vice President of Exxon Mobil in Africa,  Buhari appointed Kachikwu the NNPC chief because he was impressed by his glowing credentials as the most senior black African in any multi-national oil firm in the world with 30 years experience.

Apart from being a First Class graduate, Kachikwu also obtained a Ph.D in Law which enabled him to rise to the position of a Company Secretary in Exxon Mobil. But it was not easy for the President to convince Kachikwu to accept the job because he was afraid that he might be messed up like other Nigerians who had come home to serve.

In their negotiation, President Buhari repeatedly said: “I won’t interfere with your work. I will give you a free hand because I want to reform this oil sector once and for all”.

 He is expected to be the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. But there were concerns last night that Kachikwu might be eased out of NNPC in the next few months.

Senator Udo Udoma’s nomination came from three parameters – his rich heritage of integrity, his modesty and fair-mindedness in corporate politics. A PDP member and a Senator between 1999 and 2007, he was the immediate past Board Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). While in SEC, Udoma was said to always excuse himself from meetings where issues directly related to companies where he had stakes. His corporate attitude fetched him the nomination.

The Niger State’s nominee, Ahmed Musa Ibeto, was until May 29, 2015 the Deputy Governor of the state. At a point, he fell out of favour with ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu, who persecuted him for defecting to the APC. Ibeto’s sacrifice of his governorship ambition contributed to the victory of APC in the state. His heroic struggle earned him this slot.

 A former member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, he won the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Meritorious Award as a Youth corps member.

Popularly called “Owan”(the moon), Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, became a global citizen in 2003 when his political sponsors masterminded abduction as a sitting governor. He resisted political godfathers and left worthy legacies in Anambra State. His achievements have remained points of reference. He is averse to injustice in any form and at the point of death, he will say the truth. A 1979 medical graduate, Ngige retired as a deputy director in the Federal Ministry of Health. He is one of the few Igbo leaders who championed the election of President
Muhammadu Buhari. His virtues and loyalty and rich political resume as a senator, informed his nomination by the President. He will bring a torch of the “moon” to Buhari’s cabinet.

Born in 1964, Barrister Solomon Dalung was a former Personal Assistant to the late Chief Solomon Lar, when he served as governor of Plateau.  A former chairman of  Langtang South Local Government Area, Dalung is popularly known among his people as ‘Igbarman Otarok’ (meaning the ‘thunder of Tarok nation’). His knowledge of grassroots politics must have led to his appointment.

Adebayo Shittu was Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State. His preference for a Spartan life endeared him to the President. Imbued with integrity and uncommon commitment to anti-corruption crusade, he seems to be the poorest of the lot. A close associate of Buhari in the CPC, Shittu runs ascetic lifestyle. His commitment to Islam is inspiring. It was learnt that these qualities that made Buhari to identify and appreciate his leadership qualities for a ministerial slot. A former governorship candidate of the CPC in the state, Shittu is from Oke-Ogun part of the state where itinerant herdsmen often clash with local farmers.

 Who comes in the next batch?

 Nigerians are not done with Buhari yet. They are expecting him to complete the list of ministerial nominees in line with the provision of the 1999 Constitution. Section147 (1-3). The section stipulates that “There shall be such offices of ministers of the government of the federation as may be established by the resident. Any appointment to the office of minister of the government of the federation shall, if the nomination of any person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President.

 “Any appointment under subsection (2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions of section 14(3) of this Constitution. Provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid, the President shall appoint at least one minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state.”

As the nation awaits the next batch of ministers, it is hoped that it will not take another three months. For now, it is arms akimbo.

The Nation