President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed that each minister-designate can be accompanied by only two guests to their inauguration on Wednesday at the presidential villa.
This was contained in a statement on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
The statement confirmed that Buhari would on Wednesday, inaugurate his ministers and administer oaths of office on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as well as INEC’s five national commissioners on Monday (today).
The statement read in part: “President Muhammadu Buhari will officially inaugurate a new Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, November 11, 2015.
“Before the commencement of the inaugural session of the council, the ministers-designate will take their oaths of office in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa.
“The swearing-in ceremony will begin promptly at 10:00 Hours and the ministers-designate are expected to be seated in the Council Chambers by 09:30 Hours at the latest.
“Each minister-designate can only be accompanied to the swearing-in ceremony by a maximum of two guests
“Also, following the confirmation of their nominations by the Senate, President Muhammadu Buhari will tomorrow (Monday) at the Presidential Villa, preside over the swearing-in of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and five others as National Commissioners of INEC.
“The swearing-in of Prof. Yakubu, Mrs. Amina Zakari, Mr. Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, Prof. Antonia Taiye Okoosi-Simbine, Dr. Muhammed Mustafa Lecky and Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo is scheduled for 11:00 Hours in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa.”
In the past, the normal tradition of the lucky appointees was to be accompanied to their inauguration by a crowd of family members, colleagues, friends and associates.
The 36 ministers to be inaugurated on Wednesday are: Alhassan (Taraba); Udoma Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Audu Ogbeh (Benue); Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi); Osagie Ehanire (Edo); Abdulrahman Dambazau (Kano); Lai Mohammed (Kwara); Amina Mohammed (Gombe); Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa); Ibrahim Jibril (Nasarawa): Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Ibe Kachikwu (Delta); Abubakar Malami (Kebbi); Chris Ngige (Anambra); Solomon Dalong (Plateau); Kemi Adeosun (Ogun); Hadi Sirika (Katsina); Adebayo Shittu (Oyo); Khadija Bukar Ibrahim (Yobe); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); James Ocholi (Kogi); Baba Mustapha (Borno); Claudius Daramola (Ondo); Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa); Usani Uguru (Cross River); Munsur Dan Ali (Zamfara); Zainab Shamshuna Ahmed (Kaduna); Geoffrey Onyeama (Enugu); Abubakar Buari (Niger); Isaac Adewole (Osun); Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto); Mohammed Bello (Adamawa); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi); Anthony Anwuka (Imo); and Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia).