The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, says President Bola Tinubu did not attach portfolios to the ministerial nominees sent to the senate for screening because ministers do not have permanent posting.
Mr Gbajabiamila said this on Thursday while speaking with journalists after submitting the ministerial list to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Mr Tinubu forwarded 28 ministerial nominees to the Senate for approval but the nominees had no portfolios attached.
Mr Gbajabiamila explained that the president wants to retain the discretionary power to shuffle his cabinet or move ministers around, noting that attachment of portfolios could complicate things.
“What happens then if you change your mind, do you then bring the person back for screening again, because the President is at liberty to change his mind.
“For instance, if I decide I want somebody as Minister of Labour, and then after sending the name, later on, I decide that, you know what, I didn’t know this about this person, this person would actually be better with another portfolio,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.
He noted that the president’s team will work on appropriate portfolios to each nominee while the screening is in progress.
Some people have criticised the list submitted by the president as having more of politicians than technocrats.
The current list has about four former governors and several past and present National Assembly members.
Speaking on the composition of the nominees, Mr Gbajabiamila said the list before the parliament is a blend of politicians and technocrats.
“It’s a good mix of both people with political acumen and technocrats. So this is a good balance,” he said.
Mr Gbajabiamila appealed to the Senate to speed up the confirmation process.
Eleven states are without ministerial nominees. They include Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kano and Kebbi States.
Others are: Kogi, Lagos, Osun, Yobe, Plateau and Zamfara states.
The 1999 Constitution makes it mandatory that every state must have at least a minister.
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