By Ayo Yusuf
For only the second time since he assumed office on May 29, President Bola Tinubu, Monday, presided over the Federal Executive Council meeting where he swore in three additional ministers into his 48-person cabinet.
Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Ayodele Olawande and Balarabe Lawal took the oath of office at 12:15 pm at the Council Chamber of the State House before the start of the Federal Executive Council meeting over which Tinubu is presiding.
This comes nearly two weeks after the Senate cleared the trio whose screening only ended on October 4, 2023.
On September 17, 2023, President Tinubu nominated Ibrahim and Olawande as Minister of Youth and Minister of State for Youth, respectively.
He also requested the Senate to screen Balarabe Lawal as minister from Kaduna State.
Alhaji Lawal, who served as secretary to the Kaduna State government under former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, replaced his principal in President Tinubu’s cabinet, as minister of environment.
Dr. Ibrahim, 37, hails from Kwara State. She is a medical doctor, politician and development expert and advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Before her recent appointment, she served as the National President of the APC Young Women Forum.
Mr. Olawande, 34, is a community development expert and youth leader within the All Progressives Congress.
Before his nomination, Olawande served as the special adviser on innovation to the former president, Muhammadu Buhari in the office of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. He occupied the role from 2019 to 2023.
Before the meeting began, the Council observed a minute’s silence in honour of Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun, who passed on July 1, 2023.
Ajose-Adeogun who died at the age of 96 was appointed the Minister of Federal Capital in 1976 by the Murtala Mohammed military regime and served in the position till 1979.
Monday’s meeting is the second council gathering since President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
It comes after a 48-day hiatus.
TheNewDiplomat reports that the Council has not convened since its inaugural meeting on August 28. A week earlier, on August 21, Tinubu swore in 45 ministers who then attended the maiden cabinet meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on August 28.
Article 144 (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) recognises the “Executive Council of the Federation” (the Federal Executive Council) as the “body of Ministers of the Government of the Federation, howsoever called, established by the President and charged with such responsibilities for the functions of government as the President may direct.”
The Council’s purpose is to formulate policies, execute government projects, and, more broadly, aid the President in discharging his executive functions.
Domiciled in the Cabinet Affairs Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Council primarily comprises the President, Vice President, and the appointed ministers.
As Article 148 (2) of the Constitution states, the President is required to seek advice or act on the recommendations of other constitutionally mandated advisory bodies such as the Council of State, the National Security Council, and the Nigeria Police Council, among others, each of which meets occasionally to offer such advice and recommendations.
According to the CAO, “the FEC meets weekly to discuss scheduled items and take decisions.”
Present are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan and all Ministers and Ministers of State.
Only recently, Phrank Shaibu, an aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on communication, said President Bola Tinubu is breaking the law by presiding over just one federal executive council (FEC) meeting since he inaugurated his cabinet.
FEC last met when Tinubu inaugurated his ministers in August.
In a statement, Shuaibu said Tinubu is breaking section 148(2) of the 1999 constitution.
According to section 148(2) of the 1999 constitution, “the president shall hold regular meetings with the vice-president and all the ministers of the government of the federation for the purposes of determining domestic and foreign policies of the government”.
Shaibu said having presided over just one FEC meeting is an indication that Tinubu is not ready for governance.
“Tinubu is obviously not ready for governance. After appointing 48 ministers – the highest in history – he has decided not to be meeting with them,” he said.
“This contravenes section 148(2) of the 1999 constitution, which expressly provides that the president shall hold regular meetings with the vice-president and ministers for the purposes of determining domestic and foreign policies of the government.
It is bad enough that a man who claimed he would hit the ground running from day one took over 60 days to name all his ministers and took 84 days to inaugurate them. Even now, he has held only one cabinet meeting since the inauguration of the cabinet.
“For a man who has been gallivanting all over the place purportedly in search of foreign investors, it is laughable that he cannot even meet with his own team at home.”
He said the cabinet might not be having regular meetings because “they are clueless” and have “nothing to discuss”.
