New cabinet positions announced, but no anti-corruption minister in sight

Key Nigerian ministerial positions announced, with long delay

The swearing-in of Nigeria’s new members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet took place in his villa in Abuja, notably after an almost six-month delay (hence the popular moniker for the new leader, “Baba Go Slow”).

As Andreas Stargard, a director with African anti-corruption advisors Pr1merio, points out, “[t]he ex-military strongman had thus far only announced one cabinet position, that for the Minister of Oil & Petroleum, naming none other than himself to that post.”  Mr. Stargard added that President Buhari did name a “junior” petroleum minister in yesterday’s announcement, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, who is the head of the state oil firm Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (image below).  Yet, Stargard says, this must be taken as an administrative, if not symbolic, act, observing that Buhari retained ultimate control over this — the most lucrative and strategically important — petroleum portfolio.

The new ministers are as follows, with the list notably missing any dedicated ministerial position for overseeing the #1 portfolio on which Buhari had grounded his bid for the presidency, namely anti-corruption.  As one might expect, most of his appointees were key supporters of the President’s election campaign.

1. Chris Ngige – (Anambra) – Labour and Employment
2. Kayode Fayemi- (Ekiti) – Minister of Solid Minerals
3. Rotimi Amaechi – (Rivers) – Transport Minister
4. Babatunde Fashola -(Lagos) Minister of Power, Works and Housing
5. Abdulrahman Dambazau- (Kano) Interior Minister
6. Aisha Alhassan – (Taraba) – Minister of Women Affairs
7. Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi) – Minister of Science and Technology
8. Kemi Adeosun – (Ogun) – Minister of Finance
9. Abubakar Malami – (Kebbi) – Minister of Justice
10. Sen Hadi Sirika – (Katsina) State Minister of Aviation
11. Barr. Adebayo Shittu – (Oyo) – Minister of Communication
12. Suleiman Adamu – (Jigawa) Minister of Water Resources
13. Solomon Dalong – (Plateau) – Minister of Youth and Sports
14. Ibe Kachikwu – (Delta) – State Minister of Petroleum
15. Osagie Ehanire – (Edo) State Minister of Health
16. Audu Ogbeh – (Benue) Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
17. Udo Udo Udoma – (Akwa Ibom) – Budget & National Planning
18. Lai Mohammed – (Kwara) – Minister of Information
19. Amina Mohammed – (Gombe) – Minister of Environment
20. Ibrahim Usman Jibril – (Nasarawa) – State Minister of Environment
21. Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim- (Yobe) State Minister of Foreign Affairs
22. Cladius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo) – State Minister of Niger Delta
23. Prof Anthony Onwuka (Imo) State Minister of Education
24. Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu) – Minister of Foreign Affairs
25. Dan Ali (Zamfara) – Minister of Defence
26. Barr James Ocholi (Kogi) State  Minister of Labour and Employment
27. Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna) State Minister of Budget and National Planning**
28. Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia) – Minister of Industry trade and Investment
29. Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa) – Minister of FCT
30. Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Bornu) – State Minister of Power, Works and Housing
31. Aisha Abubakar (unknown) – State Minister of Industry trade and Investment
32. Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa) – State Minister of Agriculture
33. Adamu Adamu (Bauchi) – Minister of Education
34. Isaac Adewole (Osun) – Minister of Health
35. Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger) State Minister of Solid minerals
36. Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River) – Minister of Niger Delta