REVEALED: What President Buhari Told Saraki After Receiving List Of Screened Ministers

President Muhammadu Buhari exchanging a warm handshake with senate president, Bukola Saraki after receiving the list of screened ministers from the latter on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.

After receiving the list of screened ministers from the senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated his earlier statement that some ministers will be without portfolios.

According to Vanguard, the president made this disclosure after receiving the list earlier today at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The president had spoken about the possibility of some ministers who had been screened, to be without portfolios because Nigeria cannot afford to pay all of them.

In a rather contradictory statement, the senior special adviser to the president on media, Garba Shehu, stated in a recent interview, that the ministers would not all have full control.

President Buhari has however, insisted that there would be no jobs for some screened ministerial nominees, because although the constitution stipulates 36 ministers, the available ministries were not up to that number.

He said: “I thank you the President of the Senate for the work of the Senate leadership in our strive to follow the constitutional provision that states that the President should submit the names of those he wants to form the cabinet.

“If I can remember, there must be a member from each of the 36 states. That was why I limited the number of my nominees to that number, 36.

“The Senate worked extremely hard and they have passed all the nominees. I think there is some enthusiasm in some parts of the Presidency today that portfolios are to be given to the 36.

“The constitution certainly said there must be one member of the cabinet from all the states but the constitution did not say I must have 36 ministries.

“I will explain the details. Because of the economic imperative, to have a lot of ministers, substantive ministers, let me put it that way, whatever somebody speculated in some of today’s new papers, I think that the economy as I have seen it now since my sitting here for the last four months, that we are so much battered. Although some people are saying I am giving bad publicity and scaring away investors.

“Any investor who is interested in investing in Nigeria will seem to know more about the economy more than ourselves. So when I come and tell the truth about the position of the economy of the country, I am going out looking for investors.

“But I am confirming to them that we are truthful, that we need them to come and help us help ourselves by getting in industries, manufacturing and services. They know our needs. The economy of human resources, I believe will make them eventually come and help us.

“Mr. Senate President, I thank you very much for leading the Senate to do this hard work technically within record time. I assure you that we will follow the constitution and all the 36 will be sitting in the cabinet as the constitution stipulates.”

Meanwhile, the presidency has denied reports that the list of screened ministers and their portfolios, which has been making rounds in the social media, were from the presidency.

Presidential aide, Femi Adesina, said that the list has not been formally assigned, adding that the president would allocate the portfolios when he is ready to swear-in the ministers.