Ministerial Portfolios: Presidency Denies Speculated List; Fake Ministerial Portfolios ‘In Circulation’

Image source: TheCable

Ahead of the swearing in of the ministerial nominees following their successful screening and confirmation by the senate last week, the Presidency has denied releasing any list that assigned portfolios to them. The denial followed the speculated list of portfolios which made the rounds especially on social media on Sunday.

Responding to Vanguard on the issue, the Special Adviser to President Mohammadu Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina said that the list did not emanate from the presidency as it was not officially signed.

“Any communication from the presidency must be officially singed. Was that list signed by me or Mr. Garba Shehu? Please, ignore it”, he said.

Vanguard report continues:

He also did not reveal when the inauguration ceremony of the Ministers would hold.

Meanwhile, the speculated portfolios go as follows:

Agric and Natural Resources Audu Ogbeh (Benue), Agriculture and Natural Resources, Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu), Attorney General, James Ocholi (Kogi), Aviation Sen Hadi Sirika (Katsina) ,Defense Abdulrahman Dambazau(Kano), Defence (State) Dan Ali (Zamfara), Education; Isaac Adewole (Osun) , FCT (State) Solomon Dalong (Plateau), Federal Capital Territory Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger), Finance; Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia) Finance (State) Kemi Adeosun (Ogun) , Foreign Affairs . Kayode Fayemi- (Ekiti), Foreign Affairs (State) Adamu Adamu (Bauchi) ,Health Osagie Ehanire (Edo) Information, Communication Technology Lai Mohammed (Kwara) , Interior Cladius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo) , Labour Prof Anthony Onwuka (Imo), Mines and Steel Development Abubakar Malami (Kebbi) , National Planning Amina Mohammed (Gombe), Niger Delta Affairs; Rotimi Amaechi Niger Delta Affairs (State) Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River) , Petroleum Ibe Kachikwu (Delta), Police Affairs Chris Ngige (Anambra), Power Babatunde Fashola (Lagos) , Sports & Youth Development Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa), Trade and Investment Udo Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom)

Trade and Investment (State) Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna). Women Affairs Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim (Yobe), Works & Transport Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi) Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi), Works (State) Barr. Adebayo Shittu (Oyo)

Meanwhile TheCable reports that a fake list purporting to show the allocation of portfolios to the ministerial nominees has gone into circulation according to presidential sources.

The list, which has gone viral on social media, was not signed by any government official, neither was it attributed to anyone.

“The president has not allocated any portfolios. He has not finalized anything. If he has done so, it is still close to his chest, so it is impossible for anyone to claim that the portfolios have been allocated or that it has been announced,” a presidency official told TheCable.

Another presidential aide said the allocation of portfolios is not likely to be done until Wednesday morning.

“People are being creative and trying to second-guess the president, but to pass this off as the authoritative list is nonsense,” the aide said.

While the crafters of the latest list in circulation finally got the state of origin of Ogbonnaya Onu right by writing Ebonyi in front of his name, they omitted the ministers from Jigawa, Sokoto, Taraba and Nasarawa without any explanations.

Very striking also is the number of ministries which is put 21 – the cue obviously taken from Buhari ‘s statement on Friday that there used to be 42 ministers “but we will be lucky if we can have half of that now”.

Some of the speculated portfolios were fairly predictable, with Audu Ogbeh, who was once minister of agriculture, listed as minister of agriculture and natural resources and Hadi Sirika, a pilot, named as minister of aviation.

Abdulraham Dambazzau, a retired lieutenant-general and former chief of army staff, was named minister of defence, with another retired getting, Dan Ali, as minister of state for defence.

Rotimi Amaechi was named minister of Niger Delta – apparently because he is from Rivers state – while Amina Mohammed was named minister of national planning, most likely because the senate asked questions along those lines when she was being screened.

Ibe Kachikwu, the group MD of NNPC, is predictably listed against petroleum ministry while Heineken Lokpobiri, former chairman of senate committee on sports, was also listed as minister of sports.

“These speculations are not necessary. On Wednesday when the cabinet will most likely be inaugurated, portfolios will be assigned. No announcement will be made before then,” the aide said.