New Ministers Inaugurated by Osinbajo

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday finally inaugurated Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) as ministers over two months after their nominations were confirmed by the Senate.
The inauguration took place inside the Council Chambers of the National Assembly at the commencement of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

Shortly after administering their oaths of office on them, Osinbajo announced that their portfolios would be announced “shortly.”

The new ministers are currently attending the FEC meeting with their colleagues.

It will be recalled that the House of Representatives had on July 11 handed down a seven-day ultimatum to Osinbajo to inaugurate the ministers whose names were forwarded to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Osinbajo had failed to inaugurate the ministers since Buhari left the country for London, United Kingdom where he is currently receiving medical attention.

The slots of Kogi and Gombe States in the federal cabinet had been vacant following the death of the Minister of State for Labour, Mr. James Ocholi (SAN), in an accident on March 6, 2016; and the appointment of former Minister of the Environment, Amina Mohammed, as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Punch