On Wednesday August 2, more names were forwarded to the Senate for Screening and confirmation to serve as members of the Federal Executive Council, in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Chief of Staff to the President and the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajamiabila, presented the list to the Senate in the middle of the screening of ministerial nominees who made the first list.
The Senate began the screening of the first batch on Monday and concluded on Wednesday.
The rules of the chamber were suspended at 3:15 pm to allow for the Chief of Staff to enter the Red Chamber.
The list containing 19 names was presented by Gbajabiamila to the Senate President, Godwin Akpabio, who later read out the names.
The nominees are: Abdullahi Gwarzo (Kano State); Dr Bosun Tijani (Ogun State); Dr Maryam Shetty, (Kano State); Isiak Salako and Tunji Alausa (Lagos State ).
Others are Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu (Kebbi State ); Adegboyega Oyetola, ( Osun State );Â Atiku Bagudu,(Kebbi State ); Bello Matawalle, ( Zamfara State ); Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe State ), Simon Lalong ( from Plateau State ); Lola Ade John and Shuaibu Abubakar Audu ( from Kogi State).
Also on the list are Prof Tahir Mamman, (Adamawa State);Â Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, (Niger State ); Senator Alkali Ahmed Saidu, ( Gombe State );Â Senator Heineken Lokpobori (Bayelsa State ); Uba Maigari Ahmadu, (Taraba State )Â and Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo ( from Federal Capital Territory ).
No fewer than five former governors made the second list. They are the former governor of Osun state, Oyetola; former Kebbi governor, Bagudu; former Zamfara governor, Mattawale; former governor of Yobe State, Senator Gaidam, and former Plateau governor, Lalong.
Recall that the first list had four former governors. Hence, the President’s 47-man cabinet is expected to have nine former governors.
On Wednesday, the Senate concluded the screening of the first batch of nominees. Fourteen had been screened on Monday, nine on Tuesday, the remaining five were screened on Wednesday.
The five nominees screened on Wednesday were the Special Adviser to the President, Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake; former Minister of Health, Ali Pate; a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Fagbemi; publisher of BluePrint Newspaper, Muhammed Idris, and Dr Doris Uzoka.
