Buhari Relieves 17 Federal Permanent Secretaries

The association stated that the ministers can not afford to disappoint Nigerians and the President Buhari that appointed them because the Nigerians have high expectations from them.

A few of the stars in the Cabinet included former governor of the country’s commercial capital Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who would man the ministries of Power, Works and Housing; former governor Kayode Fayemi who is in charge of solid minerals; Ibe Kachikwu who is junior minister for petroleum; Audu Ogbe for the Ministry of Agriculture; and Amina Mohammed for environment.

Controversial former governor of oil-rich Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi was named Minister of Transportation despite strong opposition from a few senators given the allegations of corruption he has faced in the recent past.

Mr. Onu, who spoke on Wednesday night at a reception organised in his honour by Concerned Ebonyi State Indigenes, pledged to work assiduously to emerge as the best minister the country ever produced.

Buhari said the new permanent secretaries had been appointed following a more rigorous selection process than used by the previous government “entailing vigorous screening of candidates’ past records, potential and capacity for holding the office, integrity, honesty and sense of commitment”.

The ministers, 36 in number, will take their oaths of office according to alphabetical order of the states and in batches of four.

“I believe the presence of ministers will create the space for greater policy engagement”, said Nigerian Senate leader, Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

“I have also been conscious of the need not to repeat such mistakes of the past where the right people were allocated the wrong portfolios which translated into their performing poorly to our collective detriment despite their obvious capability”, he noted.

I must, however, sound a note of warning. He added the ministers had been chosen on the basis of their abilities and performance. His main priority will be to subdue militant group Boko Haram, which killed thousands and displaced more than two million people in the northeast. So is our resolve to root out vices such as kidnapping and neutralise the various forms of criminalities that threaten the social peace of Nigerians.

“Science and technology will take Nigeria to a height unimagined today; we will do our best to be the instruments that Nigeria will use to get to that height”.