Tinubu drops Kano ministerial nominee, Shetty, adds Keyamo, Mahmoud as senators tell Oyetola, Geidam, Lokpobiri to take a bow and go at screening
By Emma Ogbuehi
In what is turning out to be a game of musical chairs, President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, dropped Dr. Maryam Shetty as a ministerial nominee from Kano State.
She was replaced with Dr. Mairiga Mahmoud, another lady, who also hails from Kano.
In a letter to the Senate read by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu said he has replaced Shetty with Mairiga Mahmoud.
No reason was given for dropping Shetty, whose name was in the second batch of 19 ministerial nominees the president sent to the Senate on Wednesday.
In the same vein, Festus Keyamo, the immediate past Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, who hails from Delta State, has also made the ministerial list.
Keyamo’s was forwarded to the Senate on Friday for screening and confirmation as a minister.
With the second ministerial list of 19 names which the president sent to the Senate on Wednesday, thus taking the number to 47, Tinubu was poised to have the most bloated federal cabinet ever.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Tinubu withdraws Maryam Shetty, adds Keyamo to ministerial list
Before now, the largest cabinet was under his predecessor, Muhamamdu Buhari, who had a cabinet of 44 members.
Nigerians who have been calling for a reduction in the cost of governance are aghast at the seeming insensitivity.
As if to add insult to injury, Keyamo’s addition has raised the number to 48.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has been screened by the Senate.
After informing the Senate about his personal and political trajectory, he was asked to take a bow and go.
Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun) said Oyetola is a democrat, a financial, insurance and management expert who brought to bear his private and public sectors experience on Osun and its poor financial standing.
Senator Oyewumi Olarere said at a meeting the previous day, Governor Adeleke urged total support for Oyetola as a minister.
The Senate President Godswill Akpabio, appreciated the non-partisanship of the Osun lawmakers and governor, who sent a representative to accompany the former Governor, as well as the Senators that gave their support to the nomination of Oyetola.
APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru and National Assembly members also accompanied the nominee to the screening as a show of support.
The Senate has also screened a former Yobe Governor Senator Ibrahim Geidam and Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa).
All the three nominees were accorded legislative privileges of “take a bow and go” after they briefly introduced themselves on the floor.