Nigerian governor appoints three former ministers, 130 others as aides, board members

Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State has named three former ministers and 130 others in fresh appointments announced on Wednesday night.

The Secretary to the State Government, Timothy Kataps, announced the appointments through a statement in Jalingo, the state capital.

The three former ministers are Idris Waziri, Mohammed Shata and Obadiah Ando.

The statement said the new appointees would serve as special advisers or special assistants to the governor and as members of boards, commissions and agencies.

Mr Waziri served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Pakistan with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Maldives and Afghanistan. He was also minister of commerce in the second term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 2003 to 2006.

Mr Shata was minister of Internal Affairs from 1999 to 2003, also under Mr Obasanjo, while Mr Ando served under Goodluck Jonathan as minister from 2010 to 2011.

He did not scale through the Senate confirmation process in 2011 after the three senators from the state blocked his reappointment.

The former SSG in the last administration of Governor Darius Ishaku, Anthony Jellason, and some former commissioners were also appointed.

Other notable names are two former senators, Zik Sunday and Dahiru Bako, and Musa John, a former Ambassador.

Five former speakers of the State Assembly, Ibrahim Hussaini, Simon Dogari, Istifanus Gbana, Josiah Kente, Albasu Kunini and a former deputy speaker Danladi Gwampo, also made the list.

Reaction

Reacting to the appointments on Thursday, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, Hassan Kona, decried the recycling of old politicians by the governor.

However, Mr Kona, who lost in the last local government election in the state, commended the governor for appointing young people into his cabinet.

“Taraba at this time needed committed, highly resourceful youths, not recycling of old and ‘bemused’politicians, most of whom did nothing tangible in the state when they had the opportunity,” Mr Kona said.