Face Of Yar'Adua's New Cabinet

By Sam Uwodi

The withdrawal of the first list of ministerial nominees from the National Assembly last week is an indication that President Yar'Adua may not find it easy constituting his new cabinet

Two weeks ago, it was rumoured that former deputy president of the senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu made the new ministerial list sent to the National Assembly by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in his anticipated overhaul of his cabinet. Mantu who lost his senate seat to the Action Congress, AC candidate in the last general election and again during a re-run this year, was Obasanjo's arrow head in the senate when the latter was president. This, to most of his supporters, was consolatory and would launch the longest serving deputy senate president back to national politics. Early last week, that list was withdrawn.

Also in the list were former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu, former Niger State governor, Ahmed Abubakadir Kure and Professor Attahiru Jega of Bayero University, Kano. Professor Auwalu Yadudu, former legal adviser to late head of state, General Sani Abacha and present deputy president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, equally made the list.

Newsworld gathered that the list which was presented to the President of the Senate, David Mark by the Special Adviser to the president on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji, was withdrawn because of a plethora of petitions against some of the nominees. A member of the senate committee on Establishment and Cabinet matters, whose committee is saddled with the responsibility of screening the nominees, Senator Sahabi Ahmed Yahuza, disclosed that there are several controversies surrounding some of the nominees. Some of the controversies, according to Senator Sahabi, bother on security reports against them. He said the letter from the presidency withdrawing the list said the move was for proper re-adjustment of the nominees. “As it is now, we are still expecting the names of the fresh ministers from the presidency, when they will come to re-present the new re-adjusted list to us, ” Sahabi added.

The list includes 18 serving ministers and 15 new ones.
The ministerial list was necessitated by the restructuring in the federal cabinet carried out by President Yar'Adua two weeks ago. The restructuring saw the number of ministries increased to 28 with the creation of a new ministry of Niger Delta. This also means increase in the number of ministers.

Apart from the increase in number, some of Yar'Adua's ministers have been scored below average. Also, the president wants this time around, to choose the people who will work with him and to do away with a situation where the party and other powerful individuals impose ministers on him. A member of senate committee on Establishment and Cabinet Matters, Senator Kabir Gaya told Newsworld the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is battling with President Yar'Adua for not allowing them to have their way in the ministerial list earlier passed to the senate. Gaya, former governor of Kano State and an All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, from Kano State, accused the ruling party of using several political fronts and godfathers to arm-twist President Yar'Adua to appoint their protégées. “What they are now doing is to turn in to the senate spurious allegations bordering on security reports on the nominees so as to forestall their scaling through the senate screening,” he added.

The former Kano State governor berated the PDP over what he described as their greed for positions, noting: “Because they can't get what they wanted, they now want to frustrate the president. We in the senate, even though some of us are not from the PDP, we will not allow them to do so. We believe the president has good intentions for the country, and he is looking for those who will deliver the goods to the people. So, we will assist him to do just that for the country.”

It was gathered that, 22 of the 39 ministers may be dropped in the planned cabinet re-shuffle. The decision of Yar'Adua to pick his men does not go down well with the leadership of his party. They have been making moves frantic to make him change his mind. However, some persons who wish to be included in the new cabinet are using highly placed traditional rulers, former heads of state and prominent Nigerians to lobby the president.
The special adviser to the president on National Assembly Matters, Senator Abba-Aji said the president did not withdraw any ministerial list from the senate as a result of petitions against some of the nominees, but that there was need to make slight adjustments, which is why it was withdrawn.

Obviously, some ministers have performed creditably and may therefore be retained in the cabinet. Some others adjudged as below average will be made to look for job elsewhere. Newsworld gathered that the president might as well retain some members of his kitchen cabinet. Already, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed erstwhile minister of defence, a close confidant of Yar'Adua is sure of his continued membership. Ahmed was two weeks ago appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, in place of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe who was sacked for alleged over-ambition.

Though, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Micheal Aondoakaa might have had some battles at the earliest period of the administration, the president seems to have absolute confidence in the minister so he may be retained. Other ministers likely to retain their job are Abba Sayyadi Ruma (Agriculture and Water Resources, although the ministry will be restructured), Shamsudeen Usman (Finance), Sanusi Daggash (National Planning), Aliyu Modibbo Umar (FCT) and Hassan Lawal (Labour and Productivity). Lawal, even though he was inherited from Obasanjo's government is believed to have performed and may still be in the government. The minister of state, Information and Communication, Ibrahim Nakande may retain his job in the event that the PDP/ANPP accord subsists.

Among those likely to give way are Charles Ugwu, the current minister of Commerce. He was said to be involved in the importation of cement scandal, which favoured the Dangote Group. Other cement companies accused him of taking gratification from Dangote. The price of cement has remained high despite his promise that the measures taken by government will crash the price of the commodity.

The minister of Culture and Tourism, Adetokunbo Kayode may be reassigned but his counterpart in Education, Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu, may have to look for another job. Igwe has been having a running battle with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and his recent handling of teachers’ strike on salary increase did not speak too good of him.

Foreign Affairs minister, Ojo Madueke, an old bloc from Obasanjo's regime will also bow out. His recent comments about hanging of some Nigerians in overseas countries on drug trafficking was negative. Also, his image laundering project tagged “citizenship diplomacy” did not work out. Newsworld gathered that the minister of Information, John Odey may be sacked because of his alleged poor handling of the health saga of the president. Likely to get the boot also are ministers of Transportation, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Science and Technology, Grace Ekpiwhre and Women Affairs, Saudatu Usman Bungudu.

Top notchers in the PDP and the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo were said to have filed in damaging security reports against some of the names in the list like the former deputy senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, Auwalu Yadudu and the present minister of Justice and Attorney General, Michael Aondoakaa.

Mantu, Newsworld gathered was petitioned by some people from the PDP national secretariat and his home state, Plateau, recalling his actions and deeds, as deputy senate president and the ill-fated third term agenda of former president Obasanjo, while Aondoakaa was said to have been petitioned by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, cataloguing the role he played with the former vice president, Abubakar Atiku, when he supervised the controversial Petroleum Development Trust Fund, PTDF. The minister of Justice, who served as Atiku’s lawyer, according to Obasanjo's petition to President Yar'Adua and the senate leadership, was said to have benefitted from PDTF contracts in controversial circumstances.

Other prominent new entrants in the ministerial list include the former Imo State governor, Chief Achike Udenwa, whose nomination was greeted with petitions from members of the Imo State PDP, who were said to have accused him of selling out the state gubernatorial ticket to another party. Apart from this, the petitioners accused Udenwa of money laundering, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is already investigating.
However, it is not certain the fate of the PDP/ANPP accord that brought in some ANPP members into the cabinet following an agreement after the contentious general elections of 2007.

Paul Mumeh, Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President told Newsworld, that the senate is not in a hurry as regards the screening of the ministerial nominees. He said, the senate will be patient and wait for President Yar'Adua to conclude his re-adjustments of the list of nominees and represent it to the senate at a date acceptable to him, pointing out that, no senator has any vested interest on the matter.
Additional report by Anthony Maliki