In a cabinet reshuffle that saw him swearing-in six new ministers and a permanent secretary, President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Abuja relinquished the Ministry of Petroleum Resources which he had held for the last seven and a half years as minister.
Yesterday�s cabinet reshuffle is widely considered to be the last the President would make before handing over to his successor on May 29.
Under the latest reshuffle, no substantive minister lost his or her place in the cabinet, but some were either demoted to ministers of state (MoS) or assigned new portfolios entirely.
Some ministries in the new dispensation have also ended up with more than one minister of state.
However, the Ministers of Finance, Education, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice, Health, Science and Technology, Labour, and Women Affairs remained unaffected by the cabinet reshuffle with each retaining his or her portfolio, while Dr. Edmund Daukoru was promoted to a full fledged minister in charge of the newly created Ministry of Energy.
The Ministry of Energy was created from the merger of the former Ministries of Petroleum Resources, and Power and Steel. With the appointment of Daukoru as its new minister, Obasanjo has officially relinquished his hold on the Ministry after seven years in office.
Alhaji Ahmed Abdulhamid now takes over as the new Minister of State in the Energy Ministry.
Prior to this, the President had combined the role of looking after the Ministry of Petroleum with his normal duty as the President.
The situation had not been without criticisms from members of the public and other stakeholders in the oil industry.
The President also said that a minister of state in the newly created Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, would be announced at a later date.
However, the Ministry of Education, Foreign Affairs, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had one minister of state added to their ministries, while the former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has now become Minister of State in charge of Aviation in the Ministry of Transportation that would be overseen by the former Minister of Works, Chief Cornelius Adebayo.
Similarly, the former Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence and son of late Head of State, Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, is now a substantive minister in the ministry.
Other substantive ministers who were demoted as they are now ministers of state in the ministries where they are redeployed include the former Ministers of Industries (Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun), Police Affairs (Alaowei Broderick Bozimo), Cooperation and Integration in Africa (Senator Lawan Gana-Guba), Communic-ations (Olufemi Anibaba) and Inter-governmental Affairs (Mrs Grace Ogwuche).
Obasanjo had, however, while announcing the new portfolios of the ministers noted that �some who have been referred to as substantive ministers, but will now be referred to as ministers of state, will not witness any changes in their emoluments and privileges.�
The new ministers that were administered oath of office yesterday are Dr Adewumi Abitoye, Architect Mike Onolememem, Mr Bala Mohammed Borodo, Alhaji Inkra Aliyu Bilbis, Chief Desmond Akawor and Senator Abdallah Wali, while the Permanent Secretary is George Olufemi.
The announcement made by the President on the composition of his new cabinet is as follows: The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Esther Usman and the Minister of State in the Ministry both retain their former portfolio, just as the Minister of Health, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, and the Minister of State, Hajiya Halima Tayo Alao, retain theirs.
Minister of Education, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, retains her position as Minister along with Dr. Sayyadi Abba Ruma as Minister of State 1, while one of the newly sworn-in Ministers, Dr. Adewumi Abitoye, becomes Minister of State 2.
A newly sworn-in minister, Archtect Mike O. Onolem-emem, becomes Minsiter of State in the Ministry of Defence, while the Minsiter of Justice and Attorney-general of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) retains his portfolio as the sole Minister in the Ministry.
In the newly created Ministry of Transportation, former Minister of Works, Chief Cornelius O. Adebayo is the new Minister of Transportation with responsibilities for land transportation, while the current Minister of State in the Ministry, Mallam Habibu M. Aliyu, becomes the second minister of state in that ministry with responsibilities for water transportation.
Former Minister of Commerce, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, is now the substantive minister of the newly created Ministry of Commerce and Industry, while the former Minister of Industries, Ambassador Fidelis N. Tapgun, is the minister of state in the ministry, but with responsibilities for industries.
In the new Ministry of Interior, Ambassador Olu Adeniji is the substantive minister, while the former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick C. Bozimo, becomes minister of state for interior.
Professor Joy Ogwu retains her portfolio of minister of foreign affairs together with the Minister of State in the same Ministry, Alhaji Abubakar Tanko, but the former Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Senator Lawan Gana-Guba, whose ministry was merged with that of foreign affairs, becomes the second minister for foreign affairs.
In the Ministry of Energy, former Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Edmund Daukoru, is the substantive Minister, while the former Minister of State in the Ministry of Power and Steel, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulhamid, becomes a minister of state there.
Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Professor Leslye A. Obiora, retains her position as minister in charge of the ministry while one of the new ministers, Mr. Bala Mohammed Borodo, is minister of state.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Frank Nweke (Jnr), who was in charge of the former Ministry of Information and National Orientation, is the substantive minister in the ministry, while Engineer (Dr.) Olufemi Anibaba is the minister of state in the ministry.
In the Ministry of Science and Technology, Professor Turner Isoun, retains his position. Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Alhaji Adamu Bello, retains his position as the substantive minister with his former Minister of State, Mr. Bamidele Dada, becoming the minister of state (1) and the former Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr. (Mrs.) Grace Ogwuche, is the new minister of state (2) in the ministry.
In the Ministry of Environment and Housing, the former Minister of Environment, Chief (Mrs.) Helen Esuene, retains her title in the new Ministry of Environment and Housing, while Alhaji Inkra Aliyu Bilbis, one of the new ministers, will be the minister of state.
The Ministry of Labour experienced no change as Dr. Hassan Mohammed Lawal remains the sole minister, while in the new Ministry of Youth Development, the former Minister of State in the defunct Ministry of water Resources, Mrs. Salome Jankada, now takes charge.
Professor Babalola Borishade remains the minister in the enlarged Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, while the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Inna Maryam Ciroma, remains the Minister.
In The Presidency, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai retains his portfolio as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). But one of the new ministers, Chief Desmond Akawor is the minister of state in the Ministry of FCT.
Also, former Minister of Sports and Social Development, Alhaji Bala Bawa Ka�oje is the new minister/chairman, National Sports Commission and one of the new ministers, Senator Abdallah M. Wali, is the minister/deputy chairman, National Planning Commission.
President Obasanjo had in a brief remark, asked the new ministers to �bring in new invigoration, new dynamism and new energy into the working of the Council. We are running the last lap. And if you want to succeed in a race, you take the last lap more seriously than the first. There is no letting up or letting down. We will go on full steam ahead.�
While wishing them good luck and success in their tenure, he told them that �it doesn�t matter how long or how short anyone serves. What matters is how well.�
Present at the Council for the swearing in include the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, serving and former members of the Council of Ministers.
The FEC last December approved the downsizing of the number of ministries from 27 to 19 through the merger of several ministries and creation of new agencies. Under the reduction exercise the three new agencies that were created are: the National Sports Commission, the National Planning Commission and the Federal Capital Territory Administration, which was moved directly under the supervision of the Presidency.
Jan112007