Earlier on Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari wrote the upper legislative chamber to confirm his seven nominees for appointment as ministers.
Newsbreak.ng reports that the seven nominated ministers are to replace those who resigned earlier to pursue ticket for presidential position.
Recall Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Godswill Akpabio and Emeka Nwajiuba left their ministerial roles in pursuit of the APC presidential ticket for the 2023 election, which Bola Tinubu won.
Uche Ogah exited his role as the minister of state for mines and steel development to pursue the Abia governorship bid, while Tayo Alasoadura also quit his position to contest for the APC senatorial ticket in Ondo, southwest Nigeria.
The nominees are Henry Ikechukwu (Abia), Umana Okon Umana (Akwa Ibom), Ekuma Joseph (Ebonyi), Goodluck Nana Obia (Imo), Umar Ibrahim Yakub (Kano), Ademola Adewole Adegorioye (Ondo) and Udi Odum (Rivers).
Profiles of new ministers nominated by President Buhari can be accessed below.
Udi Odum
Born July 24, 1972, Odum got his first school leaving certificate from the State School, Ogbema, in 1986. However, it took over 10 years before he got his National Examination Council (NECO) result — in 2002 — after he attended the Government Secondary School, Egbolom.
Odum served as the chairman of Abua/Odua LGA in Rivers state. He also won the Rivers state sustainable development agency (RSSDA) award for best LG chairman in 2008.
In 2009, he bagged a B.Sc. in management from the University of Port Harcourt, and was excluded from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme in 2011. He, however, went on to obtain a postgraduate diploma in management, also from the University of Port Harcourt, in 2012.
Goodluck Nanah Opiah
Opiah was the eighth speaker of the Imo state house of assembly.
He was appointed chairman of the board of Agricultural and Rural Management Institute (ARMTI) by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013.
Opiah was later elected as the lawmaker representing the Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru west federal constituency in the house of representatives (2003 to 2011).
Ademola Adewole Adegorioye
Adegoye is an indigene of Akure LGA of Ondo state. He contested the APC primary for the Akure north/south federal constituency bye-election and lost to Mayokun Lawanson-Alade.
Adegoroye will be replacing Tayo Alasoadura on the ministerial list after the latter resigned to pursue the Ondo north senatorial seat.
Ekuma Joseph
Ekuma is a former special adviser to David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, in the Abuja liaison office.
The ministerial nominee was promoted to the position of commissioner for investment in 2019.
He remained in the role until 2021 when the governor dissolved most of the members of his cabinet.
Umana Okon Umana
Umana is a former commissioner for finance in Akwa Ibom and was also appointed secretary to the state government (SSG) when Godswill Akpabio was the governor.
He resigned from the position in 2013 and joined APC a year later. He was the party’s candidate in the 2015 Akwa Ibom governorship election and lost to Emmanuel Udom.
He is currently the managing director of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA).
Umar Ibrahim Yakub
El-Yakubu until now, was President Muhammadu Buhari’s senior special assistant on the house of representatives matters. He was appointed to the role in 2019.
El-Yakubu was also a member of the house of representatives from 2003 to 2007.
Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh
Ikoh was a former commissioner for industry, science, and technology in Abia until 2020 when he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ikoh said when he left the PDP that he made the decision because he had “always been sidelined in my ward, local government area and state party decisions”.
He was nominated by the Abia chapter of the party for the role of national vice-chairman in the southeast during the build-up to the APC national convention.
However, he was beaten to the position by Ijeomah Arodiogbu, who was elected based on consensus.
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