Jonathan assigns portfolio, re-deploys ministers

Details: Category: Politics; Published on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 04:48; Written by Admin; Hits: 1167

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assigned portfolios to the newly appointed ministers cleared by the Senate just as the president redeployed Mr. Olusegun Aganga from his former portfolio of Finance to a new Ministry of Trade and Investment.

goodluck5 Though the Managing Director of World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was not mentioned as the Minister of Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama from Yobe State was named as Minister of State for Finance.

This is coming just as the president yesterday reassigned the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, who was sworn in penultimate week among the first batch of cabinet members to now head the Ministry of Sports.

Senator Idris Umar from Gombe State, who was sworn in with 16 others as ministers last Friday had been assigned to head the Transport ministry.

Suleiman’s redeployment barely two weeks after he was sworn in, we gathered, might not be unconnected with the recent report in the media that a security detail attached to him allegedly prevented the Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Security Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Patrick Akpobolukeme, from getting access to him when the latter paid him a courtesy visit in his office last Thursday.

The remaining 15 ministers sworn in last week who were given portfolios are Prof. Bart Nnaji (Minister of Power); Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bello Haliru Mohammed (Minister of Defence); Prof. Ita Bassey Ewa (Minister of Science and Technology); Comrade Abba Moro (Minister of Interior); Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom (Minister of State, Trade and Investment); Alhaji Bukar Tijani (Minister of State, Agric and Natural Resources) and Mr. Mike Onolememen (Minister of Works).

Others include Prof. Viola Onwuliri (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs); Bolaji Abdullahi (Minister of Youth Development); Hajia Zainab Maina (Minister of Women Affairs); Ibrahim Kuchi (Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs), Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru (Minister of Foreign Affairs); Erelu Olusola Obada (Minister of State, Defence); Ms. Olajumoke Akinjide (Minister of State, FCT); and Ambassador . Bashir Yuguda (Minister of State, Works).

Jonathan had previously sworn in 12 returnee ministers with a directive that they should return to their duty post. They are Mr. Emeka Nwogu (Abia), Labour and Productivity; Senator Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), FCT; Mrs. Dieziani Alison-Madueke (Bayelsa), Petroleum Resources; Elder Godsday Orubebe (Delta), Niger Delta; Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi), Health; Prof. Ruquayyat Rufai (Jigawa), Education; and Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (Ekiti), who was Minister of State for FCT.

Others are Dr. Samsudeen Usman (Kano), National Planning; Mr. Mohammed Musa Sada (Katsina), Mohammed Adoke, SAN (Kogi), Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice; Yusuf Suleiman (Sokoto), Transport and Labaran Maku (Nassarawa), Information and National Orientation. (LEADERSHIP)