Kudos, knocks for Tinubu over ministerial appointments

Reactions have continued to trail Wednesday’s appointment of federal ministers by President Bola Tinubu, with Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) applauding the designation of former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, as Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The group thanked Tinubu for not surrendering to “political propaganda by reactionary elements that vigorously canvassed for what they erroneously termed appointment of Abuja indigenes as FCT Minister.”

According to HURIWA, the decision of the President has preserved the heritage of Abuja as a city of national unity, devoid of ethnic or religious sentiments.

On its part, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, congratulated former Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, on his appointment as Minister of Works.

In a statement by Secretary General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze said it was confident Umahi would replicate the “Ebonyi Magic” in tackling infrastructural deficiencies in Nigeria.

It added: “We are delighted with the appointment of Umahi as Minister of Works by President Bola Tinubu. Umahi is a man of proven capacity and integrity, and we are confident that he will bring his wealth of experience to bear on the task of fixing Nigeria’s infrastructure.”

Also, the chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators, Oba (Dr.) Sulaimon Adeshina Raji, congratulated Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola on his appointment as Minister of Transportation.

“Congratulations on your well-deserved political appointment. Your tireless dedication to public service and unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on our community have led you to this significant milestone. We are earnest that your leadership and vision will undoubtedly bring about meaningful change in the transportation sector of Lagos State and Nigeria,” Raji said.

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, also commended President Tinubu for creating the Ministry for Marine and Blue Economy. Agbakoba in a statement described the move as a welcome development, which will bring massive economic opportunities to the nation.

Civil rights activist, Shehu Sani, however, faulted the President for appointing a non-military expert, Mohammed Badaru, as Minister of Defence.

Sani, in a tweet, said: “In view of the security challenges faced by this country, I thought the defence minister should be a retired military officer with experience and records of accomplishments. That office shouldn’t be just political, especially at this time.”