Tinubu corners juicy petroleum ministry as he assigns portfolio to 45 ministers
President Bola Tinubu may have decided to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, by assigning the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to himself.
Indications emerged that he may not be willing to let the oil ministry slip off his fingers when he released the list of ministers and portfolios assigned to them on Wednesday.
While Senator Heineken Lokpobiri from Bayelsa State was assigned the portfolio of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo is the Minister of State, Gas Resources.
But nothing was said about the substantive Minister of Petroleum and Gas Resources.
Though Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan broke from the tradition, it seems that Tinubu does not see any reason to assign the juicy portfolio to a lesser mortal.
Crude oil remains the mainstay of the country’s economy and generates over 80 per cent of its foreign exchange earnings.
The portfolio of Minister of Environment and Ecological Management was assigned to a yet to be named nominee from Kaduna State.
That brought the number of portfolios to 46
When Tinubu finally announces himself as the substantive minister, that will bring the numbers to 47.
Meanwhile nothing was said of the three nominees – former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai; former deputy governor of Taraba State, Sani Abubakar Danladi, and Stella Okotete from Delta State – who were dropped from the approved list.
Tinubu sent a list of 48 nominees to the Senate. 45 of them were confirmed.
Here is the full list:
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy – Bosun Tijani,
Minister of State, Environment and Ecological Management – Ishak Salako
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy – Wale Edun
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy – Bunmi Tunji
Minister of Power – Adedayo Adelabu
Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare – Tunji Alausa
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake
Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John
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Minister of Transportation, Adegboyega Oyetola
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Anite
Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji
Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy
Minister of Works, David Umahi
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo
Minister of Youth, Abubakar Momoh
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu
Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo
Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri
Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh
Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike
Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa
Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru
Minister of State Defence, Bello Matawalle
Minister of State Education, Yusuf T. Sunumu
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed M. Dangiwa
Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Abdullah T. Gwarzo
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu
Minister of Environment and Ecological Management, (Kaduna)
Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Mairiga Mahmud
Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello M. Goronyo
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari
Minister of Education, Tahir Maman
Minister of Interior, Sa’Idu A. Alkali
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf M. Tuggar
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate
Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam
Minister of State, Steel Development, U. Maigari Ahmadu
Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu A. Audu
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi
Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon B. Lalong
Minister of State, Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim
Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Zephaniah Jisalo
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev
Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.
