Ministerial Portfolios: How President Tinubu Totally Ignored Festus Keyamo, ‘Sustained Unconstitutionality’

Following the assigning of portfolios to the ministerial nominees by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, August 17, it has emerged that the Nigerian leader shunned Festus Keyamo’s fault-finding.

Keyamo (SAN) was the minister of state for labour and employment during the last administration of Muhammadu Buhari. On Wednesday, August 16, the 53-year-old was named the nation’s new aviation minister by President Tinubu.

President Tinubu ignored Kemayo’s complaint

According to Legit.ng, a few days to the end of the immediate past government’s tenure — precisely on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 — Keyamo called on the federal government to consider appointing different ministers to handle individual portfolios, saying the post of ‘minister of state’ was a constitutional aberration.

His recommendation was contained in the valedictory speech he gave at the council chambers of the Presidential Villa, Daily Trust noted.

The Delta-born politician put up an argument that the “minister of state” portfolio is practically not working for many of those appointed for the post.

He stated that it would be difficult to assess the individual performances of the ministers of state since their discretion was shackled under that of the ministers, as any original ideas developed by the minister of state were subject to clearance by another colleague in the cabinet before they could sail through for consideration by the council, Vanguard reported.

However, President Tinubu paid no attention to Keyamo’s comments and proceeded to name 13 ministers of state.

They are:

Minister of State, Environment and Ecological Management, Ishak Salaco

Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare, Tunisia Alausa

Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha

Minister of State, Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri

Minister of State Defence, Bello Matawalle

Minister of State Education, Yusuf T. Sunumu

Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Abdullah T. Gwarzo

Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Mairiga Mahmud

Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello M. Goronyo

Minister of State, Steel Development, U. Maigari Ahmadu

Minister of State, Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim

Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi