Saraki gets Ministerial list

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday delivered on his promise to release the list of ministerial nominees before the end of September.
The list was reportedly handed over to Senate President, Bukola Saraki at 5pm by Malam Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to the President and Senator Ita Enang, senior special as­sistant on National Assembly matters to President Buhari.
Saraki, confirmed receiving the list through his Twitter han­dle saying, “I can confirm to you that I have just received the list.”

But anxious Nigerians would have to wait till Tuesday, October 6 to know those on the list. Traditionally, the Sen­ate President reads presidential communication in plenary, after which it would be referred to the relevant standing committee for consideration. The Senate sits at plenary only on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays.
But according to informed sources, those who made the list include Chris Ngige, Audu Ogbeh, Ogbonnaya Onu, Abdurahman Danbazzau, Rotimi Amaechi, Lai Moham­med and Sen. Alhassan. Kayode Fayemi, Segun Oni and Femi Falana, three of them from Ekiti are also said to be on the list. But only one of them can become minister.
Former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola and Abike Dabiri-Erewa reportedly made the list.
As consolation, those who do not make the final list, will be compensated with other appointments, the source said.
Buhari had promised at several fora, in Nigeria and abroad that the ministerial list would be sent to the Senate on or before September 30. But failure of the list to reach the chamber during plenary yesterday afternoon had prompted Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio to raise a motion vide Order 14 of the Senate Standing Orders in which he drew attention of his colleagues to Buhari’s promise. He asked Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki if the list was at hand but Deputy Majority Leader Bala Ibn Na’Allah quickly countered him noting that the office of the Senate President was still open till 12:00am to receive correspondence from Aso Rock. Reacting to the list last night, Akpabio lauded the presi­dent for keeping to the timeline for the submission of the ministerial list and promised that Senate will consider the list judiciously and treat it on its merit.
Meanwhile, Daily Sun gathered that the Presidency is fine-tuning the list. According to a Presidency source, the first list contains 41 names while a National Assembly source said the first batch has only 21 names. The President intends to really cut down on the number of ministers as the list right presently contains more names than the required constitutional one candidate per state, said the source.
The ministerial list, according to our source, was one of the reasons Buhari invited some of his National Assembly aides to New York, “in order to strategise on how to avoid any hitch after the list has been submitted, considering the crisis following the Senate President’s trial at the Code of  Tribunal (CCT).

Source:DailySun