R-L: President Buhari, Senator Lawan*
A pall of disappointment on Thursday descended on the much expected submission of the list of ministerial nominees this week or soonest to the National Assembly as President Muhammadu Buhari has he would not be stampeded to doing so.
Senate President Ahmed Lawan also denied an earlier statement credited to him which had raised the expectation of Nigerians that the would-be Ministers would be known this week.
President Buhari and Senator Lawan spoke on Thursday night at the Presidential Villa at a dinner for the leadership of the National Assembly.
Addressing the lawmakers, the President said “The last cabinet which I had, most of them, a majority of them I didn’t know.”
He said this time around, things would be different as he would appoint persons that he knew personally, a reason the search had continued till now.
He said, “Many at this dinner meeting are saying they want to see the list of the proposed cabinet so that they can go on leave peacefully.
“I’m very much aware about it; I’m under tremendous pressure on it. But the last cabinet which I headed, most of them, the majority of them I didn’t know them. I had to accept the names and recommendations from the party and other individuals.
“I worked with them for three and half years at least – meeting twice or two weeks in a month. So, I know them.
“But, this time round, I’m going to be quite me – me in the sense that I will pick people I personally know.”
Buhari, who was sworn in for a second term on May 29 and Nigerians feel the list of ministerial nominees ought to have been submitted for screening.
It was at the height of the discontent that Senate president Lawan was quoted earlier week that the list would be submitted before the end of the week.
However at the end of the Thursday’s dinner when journalists asked him whether Buhari presented the list to him at the dinner, he replied, “Well, I came for a dinner and the process of receiving list is not at dinners. That is all I have to say about this.”
When told he was quoted as saying the list would be ready this week, he denied, saying, “I never did. Let me take this opportunity to correct that. A senator raised a point of order under personal explanation and he said we should be sent the list of ministers by the executive arm of government.
“And in my response I said the executive is working so hard to ensure that the list of Nigerians that will help this administration work is going to be constituted, we could even receive it this week. Could is conditional and I will urge everybody here to report it as it is.”