The new batch of ministerial nominees was presented to the Senate by the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Although the President had earlier forwarded a list of 28 nominees, the entire list however contains names of a total of nine former governors, making it, when finally confirmed by the Senate, the federal cabinet with the largest number of ex-governors in Nigeria’s political history.
Below are the details of the ex-governors now ministerial nominees:
Simon Lalong
Simon Lalong, a lawyer, served as a two-term governor of Plateau State from 2015 to 2023. He was born on May 5, 1963.
Mohammed Badaru
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, an accountant, was the immediate past governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023. He is the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fertiliser and also the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Non-oil Revenue. He is the owner of the Talamiz Group of Industries.
Ibrahim Gaidam
Ibrahim Gaidam is the incumbent Senator of Yobe East Senatorial District. He was the immediate past governor of Yobe State.
Adegboyega Oyetola
Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola served as the governor of Osun State from 2018 to 2022 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Oyetola who was born September 29 1954 is a native of Iragbiji.
Abubakar Bagudu
Abubakar Atiku Bagudu is the immediate past governor of Kebbi State. He served between May 2015 and May 2023. He was born on December 26, 1961.
Bello Matawalle
Bello Matawalle is the immediate past governor of Zamfara State. He served between 2019 and 2023. He obtained his First School Leaving Certificate from Maradun Township Primary School in 1979 and graduated from VTC Bunza in 1984. He attended Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and later went to Thames Valley University, London, United Kingdom.
David Umahi
David Nweze Umahi, a civil engineer by training, is the current senator representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District. He previously served as a two-term governor of Ebonyi State from 2015 to 2023 and earlier as deputy governor from 2011 to 2015.
Nasir El-Rufai
Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, an architect, served as governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023 and earlier in this democratic dispensation as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2003 to 2007 under the Obasanjo administration. Before being appointed minister, el-Rufai also served as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
Nyesom Wike
Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, a lawyer, served as the governor of Rivers State from 2015 to 2023. An Ikwerre indigene from Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State, Wike was a Minister of State for Education under the Jonathan administration. A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wike was the arrowhead of the G-5 governors who opposed the presidential ambition of the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar. He was educated at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.
