Jonathan nominates Turaki as defence minister
President Goodluck Jonathan
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
President Goodluck Jonathan has taken steps to fill vacant strategic positions in his cabinet.
The President sent the names of Kabiru Turaki from Kebbi State and Prof. Chinedu Nebo to the senate for confirmation as ministers on Wednesday.
Although, the President did not identify the portfolios of the nominees, the Ministries of Defence and Power have been without substantive ministers for months now.
While the former Minister of Defence, Dr. Haliru Bello, was fired in Jun e, 2012, his former counterpart in the Ministry of Power, Prof. Bath Nnaji, “resigned” in August.
President of the Senate, David Mark, read the letter sent by Jonathan on the nominees on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday as it resumed from its four weeks’ recess.
The nominees are expected to fill the vacancies created in the Federal Executive Council following the removal of Bello (Kebbi) as Defence Minister and Nnaji (Enugu) at the Ministry of Power.
Coincidentally, the President’s letter came a day after the Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Olusola Obada, who has been handling the affairs of the Defence Ministry since June, slumped at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Abuja on Tuesday.
Obada, who got to the venue before 9am, was on her toes for hours and was saved by security aides when she slumped during the ceremony.
Alert aides prevented the minister, who had became dizzy, from falling.
The President also forwarded the 2013 budget of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, totaling N253.199bn to the National Assembly.
In a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, which was read on the floor on Wednesday, Jonathan said the proposal was forwarded to the National Assembly in pursuant to Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution which vested legislative powers over the FCT on the National Assembly.
Of the sum, N155.66bn is for capital expenditure, while the sum of N48.034bn and N49.50bn are for personnel and overhead costs respectively.
Jonathan also forwarded the name of Alhaji Suleiman Barau for reappointment as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
CULLED FROM: PUNCH NEWSPAPERS
January 17, 2013 by Oluwole Josiah and Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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