…as Shettima jets to Maiduguri for Sallah
President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, arrived in Lagos from London ahead of Wednesday’s Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
The Nigerian AirForce Gulfstream jet, which conveyed Tinubu, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at 05:05 pm local time. A crowd of supporters welcomed the President back home.
This ended his one-week trip to Paris, where he attended a summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, and London, for a private visit.
On Saturday, the Presidency had on Saturday revealed that Tinubu canceled his planned return to Abuja that day.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, read, “Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit.”
Tinubu is returning to the country amid the uncertainty surrounding his list of prospective ministers,
which, it was learnt, is almost ready to be sent to the National Assembly.
“I learned that Tinubu’s Ministerial list is almost done. He kept a core of Ministers to himself, heavily influenced by the kitchen cabinet of SAs. The politicians are in Bolekaja over the rest. It’s a slugfest now,” a source said.
Recall that in March, the then Special Adviser to the president-elect, Alake, said Tinubu would constitute his cabinet within one month of assuming office.
Alake said this is in line with the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution mandating presidents-elect and governors-elect to submit the names of their ministerial and commissioner nominees within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.
He said, “I told you in an earlier interview that it didn’t take Asiwaju more than three weeks to form his cabinet as governor.
“That was as at that time. I think 60 days is even too much.
“A month, maximum, is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in.”
In 2015, the six-month delay by the Buhari administration to appoint ministers and form his cabinet resulted in Nigerians lamenting the situation.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday, departed Abuja for Maiduguri, Borno State, where he will be observing this year’s Eid-el-Kabir.
Shettima, it was learnt, is due to return within the weekend.
