1. Malam Mohammed Musa Bello (FCT)
Malam Mohammed Musa Bello
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
is gaining notoriety for his ‘absence’ in power.
Since he assumed office, it has been complains
galore in the FCT, as many residents continue to
ask if there is anyone in charge of the city. Under
Bello’s watch, the city is returning back to its pre-
El-Rufai days, when chaos was the order of the
day. The minister is however a very popular face
in the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as he
is always bidding President Buhari goodbye to his
numerous foreign trips and welcoming him back
too.

2. Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan (Women
affairs)
Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan
Taraba-born Senator Alhassan has been away
from her duty post a large number of times
majorly due to ill-health. Media reports suggested
that Alhassan was undergoing orthopedic
treatment in the United States of America, with
some reports saying she has had difficultly
walking. Many Nigerians were however delighted
to see Alhassan in the presidential villa after few
weeks of absence, briefing the press after a FEC
meeting. Being away for too long should have
been enough motivation for Alhassan to hit the
ground running as soon as she returned. But the
minister’s first port of call was her home state
where she allegedly breached protocol by not
paying a visit to the state governor.


3. Professor Omole Daramola (Niger Delta,
state)
Professor Omole Daramola
A distinguished academician, Professor Daramola
has struggled to hold down his own in a ministry
that has been largely sidelined since President
Buhari assumed office. To make matters worse,
the senior minister in the ministry, Pastor Usani
Uguru, is not pulling his weight effectively in a
region he is supposed to supervise, leaving
Daramola in a dire situation. In his ratings of
Buhari’s ministers few weeks ago, popular social
media influencer and commentator on Nigerian
politics, Kayode Ogundamisi, rated Professor
Daramola 1/10.


4. Mrs Aisha Abubakar (Trade, industry and
investment; state)
Mrs Aisha Abubakar
Some say she got her appointment because she is
the daughter of former permanent secretary and
finance minister, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, who is
the current Sardauna of Sokoto. She is the junior
minister to Okechukwu Enelamah, one of the few
technocrats brought into the government by
President Buhari. She is only visible when there is
a federal government delegation to visit a place.
Much is not known about her past, but she has
been described severally by the media as an
‘international banker’.


5. Mrs Zainab Ahmed (Budget and national
planning, state)
Mrs Zainab Ahmed
Although she distinguished herself as the former
executive secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mrs Ahmed’s
appointment was reportedly influenced by
Governor Nasir El-Rufai who some media reports
alleged is related to the minister. Even at the
height of the budget scandal that almost brought
the delayed the 2016 budget, Mrs Ahmed was no
where to be found and was never visible in public
despite the media siege. Those who know the
minister however say, she has always been like
that and prefers her work to speak for her.


6. Honourable Bawa Bwari Abubakar (Solid
minerals, state)
Honourable Bawa Bwari Abubakar
A formidable politician, Abubakar is a former chief
whip of the House of Representatives. He is one of
the junior ministers whose visibility has been
drowned by the senior minister in the ministry. In
his case, he is contending with one of Nigeria’s
finest gentleman and politician, Mr Olukayode
Fayemi, whose competence and commitment is
never in doubt. Another reason why Abubakar
might be struggling to make his mark, is the
unique ministry he finds himself. A ministry with
enormous challenges and requires a
thoroughbred professional to handle its affairs.


7. Mr Suleiman Hussaini Adamu (Water
resources)
Suleiman Hussaini Adamu
His competence is not in doubt. The Jigawa-born
civil engineer has been involved in the planning,
supervision and management of several building,
environmental and engineering infrastructure
projects in Nigeria. Perharps, his ‘absence’ in the
scheme of things might be due to the minimal
attention the Nigerian government gives to
ministries like water resources. It is a known fact
that successive governments in the country
sideline some ministries and regard them as not
important. The onus therefore lies on the minister
to be creative and pull his weight in the ministry in
order to write his name in gold.

#Naij.com