My cabinet, ’round pegs in round holes’ — Buhari; as Amaechi named minister of (Transport), Lai Mohammed (Culture & Information), Ngige (Labour & Employment), Fashola, (Power, Works & Housing)

President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, described the appointment of his 36-member new cabinet as a milestone.

The president said this while inaugurating his 36-member cabinet at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Buhari further defended the lengthy delay in making ministerial appointments, saying he needed to put “round pegs in round holes”, it reports.

“I have been conscious of the need not to repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said, adding the ministers had been chosen on the basis of their abilities and performance.

The appointments are nearly about six months after his inauguration on May 29.

President Buhari also assigned portfolios to all the 36 ministers sworn-in. This follows the controversy that trailed the swearing-in itself as the President had told correspondents, last week, that not all the minister-designates would get portfolios, a position later refuted by the President’s aides.

Highlights of the appointments in the cabinet include former Anambra State governor, Senator Chris Ngige who will oversee the Labour and Employment ministry, former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fasola who will man the new-look Power, Works and Housing ministry, former Rivers State governor Chibuike Amaechi, who is now the minister of Transportation, former Ogun State commissioner for finance, Kemi Adeosun who becomes the Finance minister proper, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is now the new Information and Culture minister, amongst others.

Meanwhile, president announced himself the substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources while the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ibe Kachikwu is now the Minister of State for Petroleum.

The same situation applies for the aviation ministry which will now be overseen by a minister of state. Also, tourism which had an overseeing ministry under the old Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, has its position under threat.

The full list of ministers with their portfolios include:

1. Chris Ngige – (Anambra) Minister of Labour & Employment
2. Kayode Fayemi- (Ekiti) Minister of Solid Minerals
3. Rotimi Amaechi – (Rivers) Minister of Transportation
4. Babatunde Fashola – (Lagos) Minister of Power, Works and Housing
5. Abdulrahman Dambazau- (Kano) Minister of Interior
6. Aisha Alhassan – (Taraba) Minister of Women Affairs
7. Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi) Minister of Science and Technology
8. Kemi Adeosun – (Ogun) Minister of Finance
9. Barr. Adebayo Shittu – (Oyo) Minister of Communications
10. Solomon Dalong – (Plateau) Minister for Youth and Sports
11. Ibe Kachikwu – (Delta) Minister of State (Petroleum)
12. Osagie Ehanire – (Edo) Minister of State for Health
13. Audu Ogbeh – (Benue) Minister of Agriculture
14. Udo Udo Udoma – (Akwa Ibom) Minister of Budget & National Planning
15. Lai Mohammed – (Kwara) Minister of Information & Culture
16. Ibrahim Usman Jibril – (Nasarawa) Minister of State for Environment
17. Prof Anthony Onwuka – (Imo) Minister of State (Education)
18. Dan Ali (Zamfara) Minister of Defence
19. Barr James Ocholi (Kogi) Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation
20. Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia) Trade, Investment & Industry
21. Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa) Minister of Federal Capital Territory
22. Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto) Minister of State, Trade & Investment
23. Isaac Adewole (Osun) Minister of Health
24. Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River) Minister of Niger Delta
25. Abubakar Malami – (Kebbi) Minister of Justice
26. Amina Mohammed – (Gombe) Minister of Environment
27. Adamu Adamu (Bauchi) Minister of Education
28. Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu) Minister of Foreign Affairs
29. Suleiman Adam – (Jigawa) Minister of Water Resources
30. Sen Hadi Sirika – (Katsina) Minister of State for Aviation
31. Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger) Minister of State for Solid Minerals
32. Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa) Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development
33. Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna) Minister of State for Budget and National Planning
34. Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim- (Yobe) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
35. Claudius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo) Minister of State for Niger Delta
36. Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Bornu) Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, had Tuesday night, reduced federal ministries from 42 to 25, thus scrapping 17 ministries, which have now been merged with others.

One of the new ministries is Information and Culture, which takes over from the former Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation. Another new ministry is that of Budget and National Planning. Before Tuesday, the Budget Office of the Federation was an agency under the Ministry of Finance while National Planning was a stand-alone ministry.

The ministries of Works and Housing were also merged,  while the Ministry of Works was a stand-alone ministry, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development was a separate ministry.

The full list ministers who took the oath of office are:

1. Chris Ngige – (Anambra)
2. Kayode Fayemi- (Ekiti)
3. Rotimi Amaechi – (Rivers)
4. Babatunde Fashola -(Lagos)
5. Abdulrahman Dambazau- (Kano)
6. Aisha Alhassan – (Taraba)
7. Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi)
8. Kemi Adeosun – (Ogun)
9. Abubakar Malami – (Kebbi)
10. Sen Hadi Sirika – (Katsina)
11. Barr. Adebayo Shittu – (Oyo)
12. Suleiman Adam – (Jigawa)
13. Solomon Dalong – (Plateau)
14. Ibe Kachikwu – (Delta)
15. Osagie Ehanire – (Edo)
16. Audu Ogbeh – (Benue)
17. Udo Udo Udoma – (Akwa Ibom)
18. Lai Mohammed – (Kwara)
19. Amina Mohammed – (Gombe)
20. Ibrahim Usman Jibril – (Nasarawa)
21. Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim- (Yobe)
22. Cladius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo)
23. Prof Anthony Onwuka (Imo)
24. Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu)
25. Dan Ali (Zamfara)
26. Barr James Ocholi (Kogi)
27. Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna)
28. Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia)
29. Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa)
30. Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Bornu)
31. Aisha Abubakar (unknown)
32. Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa)
33. Adamu Adamu (Bauchi)
34. Isaac Adewole (Osun)
35. Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger)
36. Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River)