President Muhammadu Buhari has said there is no room for unknown persons in his next cabinet.
To that effect, he said he will no longer pander to party or individuals’ choices, but will nominate persons personally known to him.
Buhari, in his first meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday night, insisted that only those who have proven they are capable of delivering on assignments will be nominated.
“Many at this dinner meeting are saying they want to see the list of the proposed cabinet so that they can go on leave peacefully.
“I’m very much aware about it; I’m under tremendous pressure on it. But the last cabinet which I headed, most of them, the majority of them, I didn’t know them. I had to accept the names and recommendations from the party and other individuals.
“I worked with them for three and half years at least – meeting twice in a month. So I know them.
“But, this time around I’m going to be quite me – me in the sense that I will pick people I personally know,’’ he said.
Buhari, enjoined the lawmakers to join forces with the executive arm in order to leave good legacies for the country given that his administration is on its last lap.
He also cautioned the leadership of NASS not to compare their parliamentary procedures with that of advanced democracies like the United States and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has denied media reports quoting him as saying that the President would submit the ministerial list to the senate this week.
“Let me take the opportunity to correct that. A senator raised a point of order under personal explanation.
“He said we should be sent the list of the ministers by the executive arm of government and in my response I said the executive is working so hard to ensure that the list of Nigerians that will help this administration work is going to be transmitted and we could even receive it this week.
“We could’ is conditional and I will urge everybody here to report it as it is,” he told State House correspondents after the meeting.
Present at the meeting were the Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila; the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole among others.
