By John Ikani
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu will on Monday administer oath of office to the newly appointed ministers at the State House Conference Centre, Aso Villa, Abuja.
This was made known by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, in a statement released on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.
President Tinubu allocated roles to the ministerial nominees just ten days after Senate approval for their appointment.
A statement by Willie Bassey, Director of Information at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), quoted Akume as saying “Honourable Ministers to be sworn-in are expected to come with two guests each. All Honourable Ministers and invited guests are to be seated by 9:00am.”
In July, the President submitted a list of 48 nominees for ministerial positions to the Senate. After the screening and confirmation process, 45 nominees were approved, while the remaining three, including Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, are awaiting confirmation.
However, it now seems that El-Rufai will not be part of President Tinubu’s cabinet, as the ministry he was expected to lead has been assigned to Bayo Adelabu from Oyo State.
During his screening, El-Rufai indicated his intent to oversee the Ministry of Power as assigned by the President. Yet, the Senate postponed his confirmation due to security clearance concerns.
Subsequently, El-Rufai recommended another nominee from Kaduna to take up the ministerial position to the President.
Presently, the ex-Governor of Kaduna State is abroad for further education, signifying his likely abandonment of the plan to serve as the Minister of Power under President Tinubu.
