Each of you in this room has a
unique skill and strength… it’s this quality that made me retain my cabinet for
the full term.
Those were the words of President Muhammadu Buhari to members of his
cabinet in the valedictory federal executive council (FEC) meeting which held
on May 22. Despite complaints from the public and suggestions from experts,
Buhari did not fire any of his ministers but some still had to leave. In this
piece, we take a brief look at the seven ministers who did not stay till the
last minute of Buhari’s first term.
JAMES OCHOLI: SNATCHED BY DEATH
Ocholi, former minister of state
for labour, did not spend up to six months in office as he died in active line
of duty. He, alongside his wife and son, was involved in a road crash that
occurred along Kaduna-Abuja highway in March 2016.
Ocholi and his second son,
Joshua, died on the spot while the wife, Blessing, slipped into a coma and died
at Doka Hospital, Kaduna, hours later.
Ocholi was a governorship
aspirant in Kogi state on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change
(CPC), in 2011.
AMINA MOHAMMED: GLOBAL GLORY
In January 2017, Antonio
Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, announced his intention to appoint
Mohammed as the deputy secretary-general of the UN. The following month,
Mohammed, who was environment minister quit the cabinet for the international
assignment.
During her time as minister, she
was also Nigeria’s representative in the African Union (AU) reform steering
committee, which was chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
KAYODE FAYEMI: BACK AS GOVERNOR
Like Mohammed, Fayemi who was
appointed minister of mines and steel, quit his position but it was for
governorship ambition. Before being appointed into Buhari’s government, Fayemi
had governed Ekiti. He lost his reelection and the ministerial appointment kept
him afloat politically.
In 2018, he sought the
governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won. He also
defeated Kolapo Olusola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election
which was in July 2018. He is the incumbent governor of Ekiti.
KEMI ADEOSUN: RESIGNED UNDER A CLOUD
For Adeosun, the exit from
Buhari’s cabinet was not noble. Adeosun, who served as as minister of finance,
tendered her resignation on September
14, 2018, following the scandal over her National Youth Service Corp (NYSC)
certificate.
Adeosun reportedly failed to
participate in the NYSC scheme, which is a mandatory programme for all
graduates to qualify for gainful employment in the country. Having finished her
first degree at 22, she was not entitled to exemption on the grounds of age
except she was above 30, according to the NYSC Act.
But she was said to have forged
an exemption certificate. After Premium Times broke the story, the minister was
under pressure to step down. Although, she did not leave immediately, Adeosun
bowed out weeks later.
Before her federal appointment as
minister, Adeosun served as the commissioner of finance in Ogun state.
AISHA ALHASSAN: DEFECTED TO FIRST LOVE
Alhassan was minister of women
affairs before her resignation from Buhari’s cabinet on September 29, 2018. She
resigned after the national working committee (NWC) of the APC disqualified her
from contesting the Taraba state governorship election.
Adams Oshiomhole, national
chairman of the APC, had said Alhassan was disqualified from contesting the
election over anti-party activities. He said the minister had not been
completely loyal to the ruling party, saying the APC could not tolerate those
who played such persons within its ranks.
Alhassan had endorsed former
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for the 2019 presidential election even before
Buhari made public his re-election bid. Atiku later contested the election
against Buhari but lost.
IBRAHIM JIBRIN: BECAME A KING
Twenty-two months after Amina
Mohammed quit to take up a UN job, Ibrahim, who served as minister of state for
environment, left the cabinet.
This followed his emergence as the 12th emir of
Nasarawa. Jibrin had taken over the ministry of environment after the exit of
Mohammed. When he left on December 12, Suleiman Hassan was appointed minister
of environment.
KHADIJA ABBA-IBRAHIM: BACK TO BASE
Another minister on this list is
Abba-Ibrahim who was appointed minister of state for foreign affairs. She
withdrew from the government of Buhari on January 9, 2019, to pursue her
ambition to become the representative of Damaturu/Tarmuwa/Gujba/Gulani federal
constituency of Yobe state in the lower chamber of the national assembly.
Abba-Ibrahim’s resigned barely
six weeks after the exit of Jibril.
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