The cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari is now set to take off following the submission of the list of confirmed ministerial nominees to him by Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Saraki’s action came amidst controversy over plans by Buhari to appoint some ministers without giving them portfolios.
Buhari, who commended the Senate president for the prompt attention given the ministerial list, insisted that some of the ministers would not be allocated portfolios.
The president, restating his earlier position on why he had to appoint 36 ministers said: “If I can remember, there must be a member from each of the 36 states. That was why I limited the number of my nominees to that number, 36.”
However, he defended his position on appointing ministers without portfolios, saying while the constitution gives him the latitude to appoint a member of cabinet rank from all the states of the federation, it never made it mandatory for him to operate with 36 ministries.
“I will explain that details. Because of the economic imperative, to have a lot of ministers, substantive ministers, let me put it that way, whatever somebody speculated in some of today’s newspapers, I think that the economy as I have seen it now since my sitting here for the last four months, that we are so much battered. Although some people are saying I am giving bad publicity and scaring away investors”, he stated.
According to him, any investor interested in Nigeria would seem to know more about the economy more than ourselves.
“So, when I come and tell the truth about the position of the economy of the country, I am going out looking for investors. But I am confirming to them that we are truthful, that we need them to come and help us help ourselves by getting in industries, manufacturing and services.
“They know our needs. The economy of human resources, I believe, will make them eventually come and help us,” he added.
Earlier, Saraki said the Senate had since Thursday finished the screening of the last batch of the ministers, but had to wait for yesterday’s vote of proceedings before forwarding the report.
On why the Senate delayed the confirmation of former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, he said the issue was all part of political maneuvering.
“You noticed that in some cases, we delayed the number of one or two, it is all part of politics, of behind the scene, but at the end of the day, we finished with them; that is all about give and take and eventually I am happy with what the senators have done,” he explained.
Saraki added that the Senate has now laid a foundation for the government to fully take off.
“The entire 108 senators, we have done a good job and I believe we have laid the platform for the government to fully take off.
“On the concern of possible ministers without portfolio, well I think before, you had ministers of state in the past, I don’t think there is anything new, there was minister for special duties, which really didn’t have portfolio.
“I think the key issue is being in cabinet, it is being part of government and those that would have the responsibilities of ministering are those that at the end of the day would do that.
“So, minister of state is not new. We had it before, if you remember that very well. Honestly I believe we need to move away from the small issues and begin to focus on the major issues. I think the country presently now is at a very trying time no doubt about it.
“We have the challenges of revenue drop, challenges in trying to boost revenue and create jobs and you know we have some of these issues which we really need to address and I think that it is time for us to address them and these are some of the issues we looked at as a Senate.
“It is time for us to give support to the executive to move the country forward and I think all of us apart from those in the legislature and the executive and even those of you in the media, must begin to proffer and put our country in a positive view otherwise there is no way we are going to have those major issues addressed.
“As I said, it is not new in having all not full time ministers, but let us wait to see what portfolio or responsibilities some of them will have. I cannot speak on behalf of the President on that, but we have done our own constitutional responsibility,” he explained.
He however said despite delivering the letter to the president personally, he never broached the issue of his (Saraki) trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators yesterday continued their opposition to the confirmation of Amaechi as a minister.
The lawmakers distanced themselves from the adoption of the votes and proceedings of last Thursday, October 29, which contained the proceedings for the confirmation of the former governor.
In line with the Senate’s tradition, after an APC senator, Isiaka Adeleke (Osun West), had moved for the adoption of Senate’s votes and proceedings of last Thursday, Senator Peter Nwaboshi (PDP Delta North), was called upon to second the motion by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who presided yesterday.
However, instead of seconding the motion, Nwaboshi rejected the request, saying: “Mr. President I am sorry, I will not be able to second this motion because I was not there.”
PDP senators had walked out of the session when confirmation of Amaechi’s ministerial nomination was to be done because Saraki refused to allow the discussion of the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Prosecution on the fraud allegations against the nominee.
Following the rejection by Nwaboshi, Saraki called another APC senator, Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East) to second the motion, a strange practice in the Senate.
Also, the PDP senators met immediately after the session for about one and half hours, perhaps to appraise what transpired in the plenary.
Although none of them spoke to newsmen at the end of the meeting, it was gathered that the lawmakers condemned the actions taken by APC senators and the Senate President, which led to the confirmation of Amaechi as a minister.
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