The profiles of President Bola Tinubu’s 28-person cabinet nominees show a mixed bag of competence and political patronage.
In also exposes a potential constitutional breach, given that not all states of the country are represented on the list.
On Thursday, 27 July, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila submitted the nominees list to the Senate for confirmation as ministers.
He did not however publicly share their profiles, leaving media persons to dig for the information.
Three major findings: the list is a mix of the competent and political patronage; a third of the states is not represented; women representation is still below the threshold.
Top on the list of competent nominees are Prof Ali Pate (Bauchi), Gov el Rufai (Kaduna), Mr Wale Edun (Lagos), Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo), Sen. Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and Hon. Nkiru Onyejeocha (Abia). They come with established track records of performance in prior public offices.
Some of the nominees appear to be consolation appointments for failing elections. Others look like compensations for visible contributions to Mr. Tinubu’s presidential quest. A significant number qualify as nominations by influential persons.
Analysts have also noted that the list may breach constitutional rules as it leaves almost a third of the states without representation in the emerging cabinet.
It appears that Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara States are not accommodated in the list.
This is even as Bauchi, Cross River, Katsina, and Sokoto States were favoured with more than a slot.
On gender representation, Tinubu followed the footsteps of President Muhammadu Buhari by also nominating seven women to serve in the cabinet. This is however 25 percent of the cabinet, which is less than the 30 percent UN recommended threshold.
| Tinubu nominated seven women in his cabinet. |  Hannatu Musawa |  Doris Aniche Uzoka |  Berta Edu |
 Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim |  Nkeiru Onyejeocha |  Uju Kennedy Ohanenye |  Stella Okotete |
Here are the profiles of Mr. Tinubu’s 28 cabinet nominees announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday.
| S/N | STATE | NOMINEE | BIODATA |
| 1 | Abia | Nkiru Chidubem Onyejeocha | Businesswoman, Politician. Born 23 November 1969. Represented Isiukwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency for 16 years. Chairman Umunneochi LGA (2022). Commissioner for Resource Management & Manpower Development (2003). Defeated by Labour Party in 2023 |
| 2 | Adamawa | NONE YET | |
| 3 | Akwa Ibom | Ekperipe Ekpo | Politician. LGA Chairman. Member House of Representatives (2007-211). Won Senate Primaries but yielded to Sen Godswill Akpabio. Director-General of Akwa Ibom Democratic Forum (ADF). |
| 4 | Anambra | Uju Kennedy Ohanenye | Lawyer, politician, entrepreneur. She runs shopping malls in both FCT and Owerri, Imo State. Uju who is married and has children, contested the APC presidential primaries but later yielded to Bola Tinubu who went on to win the primaries. |
| 5 | Bauchi | Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate | Physician. Professor of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University. Served as Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) at the World Bank Group. Former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria. Trained in Ahmadu Bello University |
| Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar CON | Born 12 March 1967. Appointed Ambassador to Germany by President Buhari. Member House of Reps (2007-2011) | ||
| 6 | Bayelsa | NONE YET | |
| 7 | Benue | Prof. Joseph Terlumun Userve | Civil Engineer, Academic. Former Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Wanune, Tarka LGA of Benue state. Associate Professor, University of Agriculture, Makurdi. Commissioner in Samuel Ortom government. |
| 8 | Borno | Senator Abubakar Kyari | Born 15 January 1963. Acting APC National chairman. Awarded CON.. Elected Senator 2015, 10resigned April 2022. Son of late Brigadier Abba Ky11ari, former military administrator to North Cent13ral. Attended Barewa College Zaria the University of Tennessee Martin, USA where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1986. Also attended Webster University St. Louis Missouri for his MBA. |
| 9 | Cross River | Senator John Enoh | Senator in 2015 representing Central Senatorial District of Cross River State in the 8th Assembly of the Senate. Member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) up until May 2017 when he decamped to the ruling All progressive Congress (APC) |
| Cross River | Dr. Berta Edu | Surgeon. Born 27 October 1986 from Ibalebo, Abi LGA of Cross River State. Schooled in Calabar and qualified in medicine and surgery from Unical. Harvard certified. Fellow, Royal Society of Public Health UK, Commissioner for Health, Cross River Stat. Youngest female leader of APC (2022) | |
| 10 | Delta | Stella Oketete | Administrator, Politician. Graduate of International Studies from Benson Idahosa University. Has Diploma in Law from the Rivers State College of Arts and Sciences and a master’s degree in public administration and Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Attended management courses in Harvard and Lagos Business School. Appointed Executive Director, Business Development, Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank and prior to this, Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Delta State Governor. |
| 11 | Ebonyi | David Nweze Umahi | Senator, Civil Engineer. Elected Senator to represent Ebonyi South District 2023. Served two terms as Governor of Ebonyi State (2015 – 2023). Owned construction company before joining politics. |
| 12 | Edo | Abubakar Momoh | Engineer, Politician. Civil engineer by training. Served two terms as member of the House of Reps. |
| 13 | Ekiti | Henry Dele Alake | Journalist, Political Scientist. Moving up from Special adviser, Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy to Minister. Was Commissioner for Information & Strategy (Lagos). Earned bachelor’s degree from University of Lagos. Worked in Concord press as editor of National Concord. |
| 14 | Enugu | Chief Uchechukwu Geoffrey Nnaji | Chief Uche Nnaji APC Enugu governorship candidate, from Akpugo, Nkanu West. Schooled in Enugu from Primary School to the University of Nigeria Nsukka. Was Senator for one year (1999) and served as Member of Finance & General Purpose Committee as well as Board member FCDA. |
| 15 | Gombe | NONE YET | |
| 16 | Imo | Dr. Dorris Aniche Uzoka | Banker From Oguta. Former Commissioner for Finance and Coordinating Economy, Imo State. Former General Manager of Zenith Bank Plc. |
| 17 | Jigawa | Mohammed Badaru Abubakar | Accountant, Industrialist, Politician. Born 19 Sep 1962; two-term Governor of Jigawa (2015-2023). Awarded MON. Attended Ahmadu Bello University (B.Sc. Accounting); alumnus of National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). |
| 18 | Kaduna | Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai | Quantity Surveyor, Politician. 1st class degree, Ahmadu Bello University. Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), two-term Governor (2015-2023). |
| 19 | Kano | NONE YET | |
| 20 | Katsina | Hannatu Musawa | Lawyer, politician, author. Daughter of veteran politician Alhaji Musa Musawa. Deputy spokesperson, APC. University of Buckingham (bachelor, Law) and University of Cardiff Wales (Maritime Law, Masters), University of Aberdeen (Masters, Oil & Gas law) |
| Katsina | Ahmed Dangiwa | Architect. Former MD/CEO Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria. Owner of AM Design Consults, an architectural and real estate development consultancy firm, since 1996. Three degrees (bachelor, master, MBA) at Ahmadu Bello University. Was also at Wharton University Pennsylvania, U.S.A. | |
| 21 | Kebbi | NONE YET | |
| 22 | Kogi | NONE YET | |
| 23 | Kwara | Lateef Fagbemi SAN | Lawyer. Born 22 June 1956 in Ijagbo, Kwara State. Is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Called to the bar in 1984. |
| 24 | Lagos | Olawale Edun | Accountant, Banker. Was Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State (1999-2007) during Tinubu’s tenure. Has bachelor’s degree in economics from University of London, master’s in economics from University of Sussex, England. International Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation and the Chairman of the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame. Also chairs Livewell Initiative, a health sector NGO, and Trustee of Sisters Unite for Children |
| 25 | Nasarawa | Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim | Sociologist, Politician. Former director-general of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons. She has degrees in sociology (Uniabuja) and management from Webster University (MBA) |
| 26 | Niger | NONE YET | |
| 27 | Ogun | NONE YET | |
| 28 | Ondo | Olubunmi Tunji Ojo | ICT Engineer, Politician. Born 1 May 1982. Read Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife but completed at University of North London (now London Metropolitan University) to earn a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering, as well as master’s in digital communication and networking. Holds 18 professional ICT qualifications. |
| 29 | Osun | NONE YET | |
| 30 | Oyo | Adebayo Adelabu | Accountant, Banker, Politician. Born 28 September 1970. Former Deputy Governor, Operations of the Central Bank. First class degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. Member, Institute of Directors of Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Attended short courses at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kelloggs, Euromoney, and the University of London. |
| 31 | Plateau | NONE YET | |
| 32 | Rivers | Nyesom Ezenwo Wike | Lawyer, Politician. Born 13 December 1967. From Ikewere. LGA Chairman (Obio Akpor), Minister of State Education, and 2-term Governor of River State (2015 – 2023). Studied law at University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt, and Nigeria Law School (1997) |
| 33 | Sokoto | Bello Muhammad Goronyo | Bello Muhammad-Goronyo served as Commissioner for Information in Sokoto State under Governor Aminu Tambuwal. |
| Muhammad Idris | Muhammad is a Nigerian politician and legislator. He currently represents Gwadabawa North Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly | ||
| 34 | Taraba | Sani Abubakar Danladi | Born 20 May 1967, Bachama, Karim Lamido LGA Former Acting Governor and Deputy Governor of Taraba State. Senator representing Taraba North |
| 35 | Yobe | NONE YET | |
| 36 | Zamfara | NONE YET |
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