If authoritative report by The Tribune is anything to go by, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has penciled down the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike as a Minister in his cabinet along with atleast one other member of the G-5 Governors, IgbereTV has learned.
Quoting impeccable sources in the presidency, Tribune revealed that A list of ministerial nominees to be appointed by President Tinubu is ready.
The Sunday Punch had earlier reported that the much awaited ministerial list had already been sent to the Department of State Services for security scrutiny.
OBSERVERS-TIMES understands that the list, according to top sources in power corridors, is the first batch and will be sent to the Senate this week. The list of other nominees will follow after.
The president is required to appoint a minister each from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to assist him to run the government.
Immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, appointed 44 ministers with some states getting two ministers.
According to Sunday Tribune, the first batch is made up of technocrats in line with the desire of President Tinubu to get the economy running as quickly as possible.
Investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed that some serving senators from the North and the South are on the list.
“The president wants a Federal Executive Council that is performance-driven and has consequently head-hunted some highly competent technocrats to assist him in achieving his Renewed Hope Agenda upon which Nigerians voted for him.
“The president is aware of the need to depart from the old order in the appointment of ministers. He has demonstrated it in Lagos State that he is a talent spotter. Rest assured he is assembling a crack team to confront the problems in the country, said one of the sources contacted by Sunday Tribune.
OBSERVERSTIMES understands that a former Chief Executive Officer of a commercial bank from the South-West who joined partisan politics in 2020 is one of the technocrats on the list.
The person, a Fellow of Chartered Accountant (FCA) is being touted as the technocrat to be saddled with manning the Ministry of Finance where his core competence will fit in.
Sources confided in Sunday Tribune that the president has waded into the choice of nominee from Kano State as a result of the face-off between the immediate past governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Tinubu, OBSERVERSTIMES learnt, gave Buhari the honour of presenting a nominee from Katsina State. The former president is said to have sent a name to his successor.
As part of the demonstration of his determination to begin the rebuilding of the economy immediately, it was gathered that the Senate will receive the first batch this week.
Apart from the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who may have been penciled in as the nominee from the state, some of his colleagues in the G-5 camp may make the list.
It was gathered that those who lost their senatorial bids and could not install successors in their states might be considered for appointments.
“The president is taking time to select those he believes will add value and move the country forward, particularly on the economic front.
“The first batch of the list is ready,” Sunday Tribune was told by a source which added that “the list will be finalised at a meeting with the president tomorrow [Monday].”