14th September, 2015
There been much talk around who and who will form President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet and some of the names that have been rumoured are those of former governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola and his Rivers counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi but the duo seems to be missing when some of the likely appointees as ministers graced the office of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
However, Nigeria’s leading human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, former managing director of Nigerian Breweries Limited, Mr. Festus Odimegwu and a former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, may have booked spots in the much awaited list of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The PUNCH reported today that the men have been screened by DSS, as a pre-nomination ritual in Federal cabinet appointments in Nigeria.
Others to have made the list are former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former Chief of Army staff, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.); and a former chief executive of the Federal Inland Revenue, Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru.
Also on the list are the former finance commissioner in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun; and a former National Legal Adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Although there was no official confirmation of the report, the newspaper relied on some authoritative sources, close to the screening.
Buhari, who leaves Nigeria for France on a three-day working, promised last week in Accra, Ghana, that he would name members of his cabinet this month.
According to Buhari’s senior special adviser on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President is not planning to have a big cabinet like in the past, as he is planning to prune Federal ministries from 42 to 19.