By Musa Baba Adamu
President Bola Ahmed Tínubu has assured Nigerians that barring any last minute changes, the Senate will tomorrow receive the list of ministerial nominees for screening and confirmation.
This was disclosed by Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, during the 60th birthday anniversary lecture and book presentation held at the Musa Yaradua center in Abuja.
Recall that Nigerians have been eagerly waiting for President Tinubu to unveil his team of ministers for about fifty eight days since he took over on May 29th, from former President Muhammadu Buhari, who during his tenure, spent six months before nomination of his Ministers.
Note that after ex President Buhari spent six months before nominating his Ministers, the National Assembly quickly made a law forbidding any President from staying beyond sixty days without appointing Ministers.
Revealing that the much expected ministerial list will be received by the Senate tomorrow, the Senate Leader disclosed thus, “President Tinubu told me this morning when he called to greet me for my birthday lecture this morning, around 10:03am, that he will not be able to come to the birthday lecture because of the communication he needed to submit to the Senate in the next 48 hours.”
Quoting Tínubu, Bamidele said “Let me tell you and you must encourage me, I need to make myself unavailable for the next 48 hours because a correspondence must come to the Senate, a very crucial correspondence.
“You should tell the rest of Nigerians to pray for me to be able to make the right decision within the next 24 hours so that when Nigerians hear the list of Ministers, they will say yes…this is uncommon”.
To this end, the leader of the Senate urged Nigerians to join in praying for Mr President, adding that he needed to be away from any kind of influence, as to make the right choice of Ministers.
Meanwhile, speaking earlier, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, lamented that Governors in Nigeria always fight their predecessors immediately they assume office.
Akpabio who spoke at the 60th birthday anniversary lecture and book presentation of Senate leader, applauded the celebrant for his loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for over 30 years when he served as legislative aide to him in the National Assembly in 1992.
He expressed displeasure with the attitude of Governors to their predecessors, saying there is no former governor that has not had issues with his serving Governor, citing cases of Adams Oshiomole, Adamu Ailero, of which he said Ekiti is different because of Abiodun Oyebamiji.
He said “The Governor of Ekiti state is a great example of what leadership should be, he has remained steadfast.
“As a Governor, the moment you handover power to your successor, he will turn on you, either his taste will change or attitude, there is no any governor in Nigeria that has no problem with their successor apart from Ekiti governor there is why we have to celebrate Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele for the kind of his person.”
Speaking at the event, former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe disclosed that Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) have no business in the convoy of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima once the Police is in the convoy.
The former Vice Chancellor, who delivered a lecture at the 60th birthday anniversary, said there is a need for political office holders to reduce the number of vehicles in their convoy to show to Nigerians that they feel their pains.
Ogundipe said “There is a need for our leaders to reduce the number of vehicles in their convoy, so that Nigerians will know that you feel their pains.
“There is nothing VIO, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) are doing in the entourage of President and Vice President once you have police I’m the convoy.”
Speaking on the issue of Insecurity in Nigeria, Prof. Ogundipe said that the issue of insecurity is a global problem saying there are more crimes in the countries condemning Nigeria, but it is possible to change the narrative because they control cyberspace.
