Exactly six weeks after he took office, President Goodluck Jonathan today updated his cabinet to 31 Ministers. He had vowed he would have the full cabinet, which is expected to be made up of 42 persons, in place in two weeks.
Exactly six weeks after he took office, President Goodluck Jonathan today updated his cabinet to 31 Ministers. He had vowed he would have the full cabinet, which is expected to be made up of 42 persons, in place in two weeks.
A statement from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Anyim Pius Anyim, also announced changes in the cabinet today, as approved by the president. Among them:
Yusuf Suleman has been moved from the Ministry of Transport to the Sports Commission as Chairman and Minister after he reportedly demanded huge bribes from NIMASA last week. Mr. Suleiman was slated to be dropped from the cabinet but the Sultan of Sokoto reportedly intervened; Idris Umar is now the Minister of Transport; Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade moves to the Ministry of Police Affairs; Mrs. Olajumoke Akinjide becomes Hononorable Minister of State, FCT; and A new Ministry of Communication Technology.
The government said the new Ministry would be headed by a Minister "who is very versatile in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT)...to give it the desired focus in view of the critical importance of ICT in driving a modern economy.". Mr. Jonathan also made Olusegun Aganga, the former finance minister, the "Trade and Investment" minister. The new ministry is expected to bring investments into Nigeria.
Jonathan's cabinet is mostly his old cabinet from the previous administration. His critics question his snail pace as well as lack of courage to bring in a healthy dose of technocrats to generate new ideas and momentum.
While he has preached a so-called "transformational agenda," Jonathan has so far failed the first test of transparency by failing to declare his assets or generate an offensive against corruption, Nigeria's perennial enemy. Indeed, cracks may already have begun to appear in the fabric of his government, as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed B. Adoke, declared during his screening at the Senate that the anti-corruption agencies do not properly understand their their statutory mandates, and that they lack the capacity to investigate and prosecute economic crimes. But it is to those agencies that Jonathan pledged to hand his war against corruption.
The updated cabinet is as follows:
Table showing the list of the Ministers and their portfolios
S/N/ NAME/ PORTFOLIO/ STATE/ ZONE
1.Barrister Emeka Wogu- Honourable Minister for Labour, Abia- SE
2. Hajia Zainab Maina- Honourable Minister for Women Affairs, Adamawa-NE
3. Prof. Ita Okon Bassey Ewa- Honourable Minister for Science and Technology, Akwa-Ibom
4. Mrs. Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi- Honourable Minister for Aviation, Anambra-SE
5. Senator Bala Mohammed- Honourable Minister for Federal Capital Territory, Bauchi- NE
6. Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke- Honourable Minister for Petroleum, Bayelsa- SS
7. Comrade Abba Moro- Honourable Minister for Interior, Benue- NC
8. Hajia Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi- Honourable Minister for State for Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs,Niger-NC
9. Alhaji Bukar Tijani- Honourable Minister of State for Agric and Natural Resources, Borno- NE 10. Elder Godsday Orubebe- Honourable Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Delta-SS
11.Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu- Honourable Minister for Health, Ebonyi-SE
12. Arc. Mike Onolememen- Honourable Minister for Works, Edo- SS
13. Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd)- Honourable Minister for Police Affairs, Ekiti-SW
14. Professor Bart Nnaji- Honourable Minister for Power, Enugu- SE
15. Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman- Honourable Minister for Sports, Sokoto- NW
16. Prof. (Mrs) Viola Onwuliri- Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Imo- SE
17. Prof (Mrs) Ruqayyatu Rufai- Honourable Minister for Education, Jigawa-NW
18. Dr. Shamsudeen Usman- Honourable Minister for National Planning, Kano-NW
19. Arc. Mohammed Musa Sada- Honourable Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Katsina-NW
20. Dr. Bello H. Mohammed- Honourable of Minister for Defence, Kebbi-NW
21. Mohammed B. Adoke, SAN- Honourable Attorney Gen. of the Federation/Honourable Minister of Justice, Kogi-NC
22. Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi- Honourable Minister for Youth Development, Kwara-NC
23. Mr. Olusegun O. Aganga- Honourable of Minister for Trade and Investment, Lagos-SW
24. Mr. Labaran Maku Honourable Minister for Information and Communications, Nasarawa,-NC
25. Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom-Honourable Minister of State, Trade and Investment, Benue-NC
26. Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru-Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ogun-SW
27. Erelu Olusola Obada -Honorable Minister of State, Defence, Osun-SW
28. Mrs. Olajumoke Akinjide Honourable Minister of State for FCT, Oyo-SW
29. Senator Idris A.Umar Honourable Minister for Transport , Gombe-NE
30. Dr. Yerima Lawal Ngama Honourable Minister of State for Finance, Yobe-NE
31. Amb. Bashir Yugudu -Honourable Minister of State, Works, Zamfara: NW