Babatunde Fashola (Lagos)– Substantive Minister – Power, Works and Housing

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he was Chief of Staff (1999-2007) to former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu before being elected Governor himself. As Governor of Lagos State from 2007 to 2015 he was responsible for key reforms in the areas of taxation, education and infrastructure. He was Director of the Fundraising Committee for Buhari’s Presidential Election Campaign. Mr. Louis Edozien (Power) and Engr. A.G. Magaji (Works & Housing) were recently appointed Permanent Secretaries of both Ministries, respectively.

Mustapha Shehuri (Borno)– Junior Minister of State for Power

He coordinated the Borno arm of President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign when he contested for the Presidency on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP) in 2007 and was later elected on that party’s platform as a member of the House of Representatives. He later defected to the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and was the party’s flag bearer in the Borno State gubernatorial race of 2011. Mr. Louis Edozien (Power) and Engr. A.G. Magaji (Works & Housing) were recently appointed Permanent Secretaries of both Ministries, respectively.

Kemi Adeosun (Ogun)–Substantive Minister for Finance

She was Commissioner of Finance for Ogun State from 2011 – 2015. She has extensive experience from the private sector, having previously held key managerial positions at prestigious firms such as Price Waterhouse Coopers (2000 – 2002) and Chapel Hill Denham Management (2002 – 2010). She is a renowned economist.Alhaji Mahmoud Isa Dutse was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Ibe Kachikwu (Delta)– Junior Minister, State for Petroleum

In August 2015 he was appointed as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Prior to this, he was the Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon Mobil, Africa where he is credited with influencing over US$10 billion worth of investment into Nigeria and other African countries. He earned a Doctorate Degree from Harvard University, specializing in Petroleum and Investment Law Strategy. Dr. Jamila Shu’ara was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Udo Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom)–Budget and National Planning

An Oxford alumnus, he is a Partner at the law firm of Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie and was Special Adviser to a former Minister of Petroleum and later Chairman of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) Task Force that was setup to prepare the draft Bill. He was elected as a Senator to represent Akwa Ibom State in 1999; served eight years in the Senate (PDP)and was elected Chief Whip. Mrs. Fatima Mede was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna), State for Budget and National Planning

She is the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and has held that position since October 2010. She has a commendable track record in the public service space, holding key managerial positions at institutions such as the Nigeria Mobile Telecommunications and Kaduna Investment Company. Mrs. Fatima Mede was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia) – Substantive Minister, Industry Trade and Investment

He is a medical doctor by training, but has extensive experience in the areas of finance and foreign investments. He has worked in various capacities with several international firms such as Arthur Andersen & Co. (now KPMG Professional Services WA), Goldman Sachs & Co, and Zephyr Management LP. He is co-founder and Chief Executive of Africa Capital Alliance (ACA), an investment and advisory firm that has obtained aggregate capital commitments of over US$750 million across several funds raised from 1997 till date. Mr. Aliyu Bisalla was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto) State for Trade, Industry and Investment

She is an alumnus of the University of Leads and is currently the Director for Corporate Services at the Pension Transmission Agreement Directorate. Prior to that, she was Chief Executive at the Abuja Enterprise Agency. Mr. Aliyu Bisalla was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)–Substantive Minister for Transportation

He came to political prominence as Special Assistant (1992 – 1993) to Dr. Peter Odili when he was Deputy Governor of Rivers State. He served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for 8 years before becoming Governor of the State in 2007 on the platform of the PDP. During his second term as Governor he fell out with his party and joined the newly formed APC in 2013 where he became Campaign Director for President Buhari’s campaign in the run-up to the 2015 elections. He also was appointed as a member of the Transition Committee. Alhaji Sabiu Zakari was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Hadi Sirika (Katsina)–State for Aviation

He was elected as a Senator representing Katsina State on the platform of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011 and served as a member of the Senate Committee on Aviation. He is a professional pilot by training.

Isaac Adewole Folorunsho (Osun)–Health

He is a medical practitioner with several years of local and international experience. He has held key policy positions in the Nigerian health sector, including teaching at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. In 1984 as President of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria he held a nationwide strike that resulted in his dismissal by the then military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari. Dr. Amina Shamaki was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Osagie Ehanire (Edo)–State for Health

He is a well established medical doctor and has worked as a Divisional Consultant Surgeon with the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Ltd. Prior to that, he was the Senior Registrar Clinical Instructor at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. He was instrumental in securing President Buhari’s victory as Edo State Coordinator for the Buhari Campaign Organisation. Dr. Amina Shamaki was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Usani Usani Uguru (Cross River)– Substantive Minister Niger Delta

His career in governance started while he was Personal Assistant to Governor Clement Ebri of Cross Rivers State (1992 – 1993) and he gained further notable public sector experience from later roles as Commissioner of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development (1997- 1999) and Commissioner of Youth, Sports and Social Development (1995). He contested for Cross Rivers State gubernatorial elections in 2003 and 2012 under the opposition political platforms of the former National Democrats (ND) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), respectively. In 2013 he was appointed Chairman of the APC in Cross Rivers State. Prior to that, he was the Cross Rivers State Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Mrs. Wakama B. Asifieka was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Claudius Daramola (Ondo)–State, Niger Delta

He is a renowned academic with over two decades of experience and has held key positions including heading the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education at the University of Ilorin. He has served as External Examiner to a good number of Universities and Colleges of Education and has also been on accreditation teams to many of the tertiary education institutions. Mrs. Wakama B. Asifieka was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Amina Mohammed (Gombe)–Environment

She is a Special Adviser on post-2015 development planning to the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon. She worked as Senior Adviser on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to three different Presidents of Nigeria from 2000 – 2014. She has served on several international advisory boards and panels including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She worked in the United Nations Millennium Project as a Coordinator of the Task Force on Gender and Education From 2002 – 2005 she was Coordinator of the Task Force on Gender and Education for the United Nations Millennium Project. Dr. Bukar Hassan was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Ibrahim Usman Jibril (Nasarawa)–State, Environment

A specialist in land reform, he has worked for over two decades as a Land Officer in the administration of the FCT and was one time Senior Special Assistant to a former Nasarawa State Governor, on the Nasarawa Geographic Information System (NAGIS). He also has held the position of Deputy Director at Development Control Abuja and has presented numerous research papers on land reforms and urban planning at various international fora. Dr. Bukar Hassan was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Geoffrey Onyeama (Enugu)–Foreign Affairs

He is an alumnus of Columbia University, Cambridge University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a seasoned legal expert with substantial experience in foreign stakeholder relations which is exhibited by his years of work in various managerial capacities at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He is multilingual; speaking fluent English, French and German. Bulus Lolo was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Khadija Bukar Abba (Yobe), State for Foreign Affairs

She is a dynamic member of the House of Representatives and has served two terms as a legislator representing Yobe State. Prior to that, she served as Commissioner for Transport and Energy in the State for three years. During her first tenure as a legislator, she was Deputy Chairman of both the House Committee on Rural Development and House Committee on Communication and was a member in the Power, Water Resources, Interior, Appropriation, Electoral Matters, Banking, Petroleum, Police Affairs, and Constitution Review Committees amongst others. When reelected she was made Chairman of the Privatization and Commercialization Committee and she also sat on the Board of Committees on Culture and Tourism, Environment, Industries, Interior, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Niger-Delta Development Commission and Youth and Social Development Committees. Bulus Lolo was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti)–Solid Minerals

He is a PhD holder with a background in politics and international relations and was a Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development from 1997 to 2006. He was Governor of Ekiti State from 2010 to 2014 and was seen as a reformist who worked to sanitize many areas of the public sector. He lost a second term bid to PDP rival, Ayo Fayose, but displayed exemplary political sportsmanship when he conceded defeat with dispatch and graciousness. He was the APC Director of Policy and Research during the run-up to the 2015 elections and also served as a member of President Buhari’s transition committee. In a previous note we had tipped him as very likely to be appointed in the new Cabinet. Mr. Istifanus Fuktur was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Abubakar Bwari Bawa (Niger)–State for Solid Minerals

He was the gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Niger State in 2011. He was previously elected for two terms into the House of Representatives where he served on the Selection Committee as the Chief Whip. He was born in 1963 and had his primary education in Sokoto and Minna before proceeding to Government Secondary School, Suleja. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning.

Adebayo Shittu (Oyo)–Communications
He has been quite active in Nigerian politics particularly in Oyo State where he served as a Member of the Oyo State House of Assembly (1979 – 1983) and later as Attorney General as well as Commissioner for Justice and Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs in Governor Ladoja’s government. He was also a member of the National Political Reforms Conference in 2005. Arch. Sunday Echono was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Lai Mohammed (Kwara)–Information
He is the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and worked as Public Relations Officer for almost 10 years with the Nigerian Airport Authority, now Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). He was a gubernatorial candidate for Kwara State in the 2003 elections on the Alliance for Democracy platform and lost to then Governor Bukola Saraki. Mrs. Ayotunde Adesugba was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Adamu Adamu (Bauchi)–Education

He is a well-known public affairs analyst and a columnist with Daily Trust and has had a long standing relationship with President Buhari. He was part of the group that accompanied the President to Bauchi State during the 2007 elections to sell the candidacy of Governor Isa Yuguda as the then All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP) gubernatorial candidate. Dr. Shade Yemi-Esan was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry

Anthony Onwuka (Imo), State for Education

Another academic with a wealth of experience spanning more than 20 years, he has held several key positions in universities at home and abroad, including five years as the Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University. Dr. Shade Yemi-Esan was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Audu Ogbeh (Benue)–Agriculture

He was the National Chairman of the PDP from 2001 until 2005 when he was forced to resign. He was a founding member of the APC when it was formed in 2013. He was Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly in 1979 and later served as Minister of Communications and Minister of Steel Development under the Shehu Shagari administration (1982-1983). More recently he was appointed a member of President Buhari’s Transition Committee. Dr. Shehu Ahmad was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa)–State for Agric

He was elected as a Senator (2007 – 2015) representing Bayelsa State, under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) platform. From 1999-2001 he was Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and was in 2007 elected to the National Assembly on the platform of the PDP. He served two terms as a Senator, occupying positions such as Chairman of the Sports Committee and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Transport amongst others. Dr. Shehu Ahmad was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Monsur Dan-Ali (Zamfara)–Defence

He is a career soldier with graduate degrees in Public Policy and Administration and Security Studies. During his years of service at the Nigerian Armed Forces (NFA) he has been decorated with several honorary medals and service stars for his service with the Nigerian Armed Forces (NFA). Prior to attending the National Defense College, Bangladesh, he served as the Commander, Nigerian Battalion at the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Ambassador Danjuma Sheni was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Abdulrahman Dambazau (Kano)–Interior

He is a career military officer and served as the Principal General Staff Officer to an Honorable Minister of Defense (PGSO-HMOD) in 2006 before being appointed Chief of Army Staff in 2008 under late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi)–Science and Technology

A renowned academic that lectured for several years at the University of Port-Harcourt, he was elected the first Governor of the then newly created Abia State in 1992. He is a former National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP), one of the four parties that formed the APC in February 2013. He was instrumental in drumming up support for President Buhari in the South-east region of the country. Dr. Habiba Lawal was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Chris Ngige (Anambra)–Labour and Employment

A medical doctor by training, he was a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health from 1997-1998. He was Governor of Anambra State from 2003 to 2006; he was removed following the annulment of his election by a tribunal. He is a founding member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as well as the All Progressives’ Congress (APC). Dr. Clement Illoh was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

James Ocholi (Kogi), State for Labour

A lawyer by training, he is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and currently the National Deputy Legal Adviser of the APC. He contested in the 2011 Kogi State gubernatorial elections on the platform of the former Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but lost to the incumbent governor. In 2015, he sought the APC gubernatorial ticket at the party’s primaries but lost to the former State Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu. Dr. Clement Illoh was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Aisha Alhassan (Taraba)–Women Affairs

She is a lawyer and the first woman to be appointed as Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Judicial Council. In 2003, she was appointed the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the FCT. She was a Senator representing Taraba State from 2011 to 2015 under the PDP but later defected to the APC where she became the party’s candidate for the 2015 gubernatorial race. She eventually lost to Governor Darius Ishaku of the PDP. Mrs. Binta Bello was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa)–Water Resources

He was Principal Consultant with Afri- Projects Consortium – Management Consultants to the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund, where he was actively involved in the planning and preparation of several national infrastructural projects in the health, education, transportation, agriculture, water resources and energy sectors. He is presently the National Vice President of Association of Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN). Mrs. Rabi Jimeta was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Solomon Dalong (Plateau)–Youths and Sports

He began his political career under the wings of former Plateau State Governor, Chief Solomon Lar, whom he served as a Personal Assistant from 2007 to 2008. He was chairman of the Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State and also served as the Plateau State Chairman of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON). Mr. Christian Ohaa was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Abubakar Malami (Kebbi)–Justice

He served as a Resource Person for the Manifesto Drafting Sub-committee of the Inter-party Merger Committee towards the formation of the APC and was later appointed to the APC Constitution sub-committee (June 2014)· Before that he had been Chairman of the Legal Team of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Presidential Campaign Organisation in 2011 (Buhari’s third presidential bid)· He served as a Resource Person for the Manifesto Drafting Sub-committee of the Inter-party Merger Committee towards the formation of the APC and was later appointed to the APC Constitution sub-committee (June 2014). Mr. Taiwo Abidogun was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa)–FCT

He is former Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria [NAHCON]. He was also Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Hajj in 2006. He was a member of several Sub-Committees of the Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization [TCPC] in the 1990s and was involved in the privatization of some state-owned enterprises. He has served as a Director of a number of companies including the former Habib Bank. Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye was recently appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

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Dele Akintola is the Vice President, Africa Equity Sales Equities / African Equity Product Distribution, Renaissance Capital

Janeth J