After a long wait, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday eventually announced key cabinet appointments to give its over three-month old administration a direction.
In the announcements contained in a statement signed by Femi Adesina, his special adviser on media and publicity, the President surprised pundits as none of those who have been touted, especially for the key posts of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chief of Staff in the media made the list of the new appointees.
In the statement, the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation is Engr. Babachir David Lawal Secretary to the Government of the Federation while Alhaji Abba Kyari is the Chief of Staff to the President.
In the same vein, the President also announced his long time associate, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) as Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service while Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi has been appointed as the Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service.
Also, the President also appointed Senator Ita S.J. Enang as his Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate) and Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu as his Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives). The appointments are with effect from today, August 27, 2015.
Engr. Lawal, the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation hails from Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State.
He graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree and worked with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited before establishing his own ICT and Telecommunications consulting firm in 1990.
He is also a member of the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigeria Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.
Alhaji Abba Kyari, the new Chief of Staff to the President holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology. He has worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years.
The new Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Ali holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Criminology. He was military administrator of Kaduna State from 1996 to 1998.
The new Comptroller- General of Immigration, Mr. Abeshi hails from Nasarawa State. He joined the Nigerian Immigration Service in 1989 as an Assistant Comptroller. His educational qualifications include a Masters Degree in Public Administration.