Governors
Governors rush to beat deadline. With only 24 hours until the 60-day deadline for governors sworn in on May 29 to submit their commissioner-nominee lists to their respective Houses of Assembly, some governors raced to meet the deadline on Friday as they transmitted their lists to lawmakers.
The states sent a total of 104 nominees to the Assembly, including Lagos, Nasarawa, Enugu, Gombe, and Zamfara.
This comes just a day after President Bola Tinubu sent his ministry nominations to the Senate for confirmation.
The alteration bills to the 1999 constitution signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari before he left office on May 29 stipulated that the President and governors shall within 60 days of taking the oath of office forward the names of their nominees to the legislature for confirmation.
Saturday (today) marks the 60-day mark for the 28 governors who were inaugurated alongside the President on May 29.
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State submitted a list of 17 commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening.
The announcement was made by the Assembly’s Speaker, Ibrahim Abdullahi, during an emergency session in Lafia on Friday.
The speaker requested that the nominees submit 30 copies of their curriculum vitae to the Assembly by July 31, and that they attend for screening on August 1.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State sent 15 commissioner-nominees, including Lloyd, the son of former Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, and Ada Chukwu, the daughter of ex-governor Sullivan Chime.
Their nominations were contained in a list sent to the House of Assembly, which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Uche Ugwu, on Friday.
The letter noted that the list was not exhaustive as the governor also appealed for their speedy consideration.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State delivered the names of 39 commissioner-nominees to the Assembly.
According to Gboyega Akosile, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, 30% of the nominees were women, while the rest were youths, technocrats, and politicians, according to a tweet on Friday.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso; his Budget and Economic Planning counterpart, Mr Sam Egube; ex-Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi; ex-Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyooye; and his Education counterpart, Tokunbo Wahab were among those named.
Others include Mr Lawal Pedo (SAN), Dr Dolapo Fasawe, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Mr Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, Mrs Bolaji Cecilia Dada, Bola Olumegbon, Dr Oreoluwa Finnih-Awokoya, Mr Moruf Fatai, Dr Rotimi Fashola, Mr Tunbosun Alake, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, Dr Jide Babatunde and Mrs Solape Hammond.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State forwarded a list of 16 commissioner-nominees to the House of Assembly for consideration.
The Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Muhammad Nakwada, thanked the Assembly members for their support and urged them to keep the momentum going.
Receiving the list, the Speaker, Bilyaminu Ismaíl Moriki, said the House would soon commence the screening of the nominees. He said the names would be unveiled during the next sitting.
Governor Muhammadu Yahaya of Gombe State sent 17 nominees to the Assembly for vetting and ratification.
The names were read aloud on the floor of the house during plenary on Friday.
In his first term, he appointed 15 males and two women, including roughly five commissioners.
Saddam Bello, the Deputy Speaker and Funakaye North member, stated that “the house will begin screening immediately after their first induction course, which is coming up early next month.”