Buhari's Ministerial List: Nigeria’s Department Of State Security Screens Odimegwu, Falana, Utomi, Others

A former Managing Director of
Nigerian Breweries Limited, Mr.
Festus Odimegwu and a former
presidential candidate, Prof. Pat
Utomi, are among the ministerial
nominees that have been screened by
the Department of State Service, The
PUNCHlearnt authoritatively on
Sunday.

A former Managing Director of Nigerian
Breweries Limited, Mr. Festus
Odimegwu and a former presidential
candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, are among

Those already said to have been screened as
nominees for President Muhammadu Buhari’s
cabinet also include a former Governor of
Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and a
Lagos-lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).

Also on the list are a former Chief of Army,
Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazu (retd.); an
ex-chief executive of the Federal Inland
Revenue, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru; a
former finance commissioner in Lagos State,
Mr. Wale Edun; and a former National Legal
Adviser to the defunct Congress for
Progressive Change, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The PUNCH learnt that the screening of the
nominees had been concluded on Friday.
Buhari had last week at a press briefing in
Accra, Ghana, that he would name members
of his cabinet this month.
Our correspondents gathered that some of the
nominees had appeared before the DSS.
None of the names on the list however
confirmed that they had been screened when
our correspondents contacted them on
Sunday.
It was gathered that they had been instructed
not to leak details of their screening to the
media.
‘‘What was done was not physical screening
but mainly background checking,” one of the
already-screened nominees told one of our
correspondents late on Sunday.
Multiple sources within the All Progressives
Congress told our correspondent on Sunday
that Falana was favoured by a camp in the
party to emerge as the Minister of Justice
and Attorney-General of the Federation.
A top APC chieftain said the Vice President,
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the National Leader
of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had
convinced Buhari to appoint Falana.
Tinubu and Osinbajo were said to have told
Buhari that appointing Falana, who he jailed
over 30 years ago, would boost his image as
a ‘converted democrat.’
It was, however, learnt that Malami was being
favoured by the President.
A source within the party added power blocs
within Falana’s home state, Ekiti, might not
be disposed to the choice of the human rights
lawyer because he is not a member of the
APC.
The APC has three former governors in Ekiti
State: Niyi Adebayo, Segun Oni and Kayode
Fayemi.
An APC top official said, “Falana has already
been screened by the DSS. However, Buhari is
closer to Malami who is from the North.”
Sources within the party also told our
correspondent that Utomi, a renowned
economist and former presidential candidate
of the African Democratic Congress, had been
screened by the DSS and the police.
Utomi, who is now a member of the APC, was
one of biggest critics of former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
It was learnt that Edun, who served under
former Tinubu as Lagos State governor, had
also been screened by security agencies.
It was learnt that Edun was being considered
to emerge as the Minister of Finance while
Utomi for Minister of Economic Planning.
Sources within the party told our
correspondent that Tinubu convinced Buhari
to appoint Edun based on his antecedents.
He said the Chairman of the Federal Inland
Revenue Service, Babatunde Fowler, Edun and
Utomi might be given the task of reviving the
economy.
A source said, “Oil prices are dwindling and
Nigeria will need to diversify but in the short
term, increasing the nation’s Internally
Generated Revenue is the key. Tinubu
explained to Buhari that when former
President Olusegun Obasanjo withheld Lagos
State allocations, Edun and Fowler helped to
ensure that the state’s IGR increased
exponentially.’’
It was learnt that Odimegwu, was nominated
by the President.
Odimegwu fell out with former President
Goodluck Jonathan when he openly criticised
the Federal Government. He had resigned and
then travelled to the United States.
Two weeks to the March 28 presidential
election, however, Odimegwu openly
supported Buhari and called him ‘the best
man for the job.’
Odimegwu is also close to former President
Olusegun Obasanjo.
Oyinlola, a one-time secretary of the Peoples
Democratic Party, defected to the APC shortly
before the Osun State governorship election
and he is a close associate of Obasanjo.
Repeated calls made to the telephones of
Odimegwu and Utomi were not responded to.
One of the nominees who picked his call,
simply said, “I don’t know if screening has
been done or completed.”
Another nominee, who pleaded anonymity,
said, “Although I have met the director-
general of the DSS twice, I don’t think such
visits could be regarded as screening.
“I understand the service has done its
research on ministerial nominees. For now,
nobody is sure of anything until the names
are announced.”
In his reaction, Oyinlola said he had not been
screened as a ministerial nominee.
He said, ‘‘To the best of my knowledge, I
have not been called. May be they called
others, not me.”
The former governor, however, said he was
one of the nine persons, whose names were
submitted to Governor Rauf Aregbesola – as
a ministerial nominee – having been picked
by his senatorial district.
The PUNCH learnt that the report of the DSS
screening would be sent to the President this
week.
A top DSS operative, who confided in The
PUNCH, said the agency had conducted
extensive checks on the nominees, including
their financial transactions and their records
with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission and the police.
The Special Adviser (Media) to the President,
Femi Adesina, had on Wednesday told The
PUNCH that security screening “is naturally a
behind-the-scenes matter.”
The DSS could not be reached for comment
on Sunday as it had yet to appoint a
spokesperson.
The PUNCH had on Thursday exclusively
reported that the DSS had commenced the
screening of ministerial nominees sent to it
by the President.