The farewell ceremony was heavy laden with emotions. It was a valedictory session by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the outgoing Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed who was recently appointed Deputy Secretary – General of the United Nations. Her appointment is the highest honour any Nigerian woman has ever achieved.
This is even so when it is recalled that her appointment d minister had generated serious controversy, following protest by some stakeholders from Kaduna that she was not from the state by virtue of her being married to a Kaduna indigene. Amina put the record straight by saying she was representing Gombe, her home state, and not Kaduna as it was widely speculated then.
Since her appointment, she has been one of the shining stars among President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s ministers. When some Nigerians were calling for the sack of some ministers, her name was never mentioned. Many Nigerians were elated when her appointment came last year. The news was received with mix feelings.
The new UN Deputy scribe attended her last FEC meeting last week where her colleagues held a valedictory session in her honour. The first to speak was the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed who said it was difficult to give a valedictory speech for two minutes, adding that they were all going to miss her as most of them met her for first time during the ministerial confirmation.
He added that the consolation he was that she is moving to a higher place and reminded her of their secret pact which he will not disclose. The information minister also revealed that the outgoing minister was the darling minister of all his girls who were sad that she is leaving.
On her part, Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan said, “It is difficult to describe Amina . You are a pride to womanhood; I miss you already personally and I am sure everybody will miss you. I am pleading on behalf of all women that her replacement must be a woman.
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, recalled that he first met her when he was at the National Assembly as lawmakers. He said the lawmakers were critical of members of the Executive and were always trying to find faults whenever Amina appeared before the Senate Committee. He, however, said she was polite, focused and dogged and that even though they tried many times to intimidate her, they couldn’t.
Udo Udoma said, “You can never find fault in her; she was impressive and I was excited when I heard we will serve together in the cabinet. When I heard of her appointment, I had mixed feelings. I had gotten used to her insightful comments in the cabinet and therefore I will miss her. I am sure you will be a very good ambassador.
He joked that sometimes when she writes to him, she addresses him in French or English, and that now that she is going, he is thinking about who is going to be addressing him only in French again.
Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, practically broke down in tears. He said, “This is very emotional for me. It has been 15 months of exciting moment, having worked with a near perfect leader. The last 3 months have been traumatic for me trying to get used to her departure. In giving to the United nations, the President gave his best- a gold fish has no hiding place”.
On his part, minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika remarked, I found in her huge patriotism. She is quite knowledgeable and has impacted knowledge. Little wonder you are great, not because you bear the name of Queen Amina but because you also bear the name of the mother of Prophet Mohammed”.
Also speaking, minister of science and tech Ogbonnaya Onu simply said, “She is a gift to Nigeria and Nigerian is giving her as a gift to the world”.
Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu was full of confessions to make about the outgoing minister. He said when they came in, most of the ministers were learning on the job but Amina was already a master and that if he had his way, he would not let her go, as it would be difficult to fill her combination. “We are deficient in the area of environment management in Nigeria. It is too early for us to let quality people leave “, he said.
On her part, Minister of State, Trade and Investment, Aisha said for many of them who come from the Northern part of Nigeria, Amina Mohammed is role model. She recalled the problems that trailed her confirmation as a minister from Sokoto and she was put under her care. She added that she coached her on the art of politics and how to get on with colleagues and impact greatly on her life.
Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun said the outgoing minister had the incredible gift of making things exciting. “I call her mama Ogoni because she is so passionate about the cleanup of Ogoni land. this is the highest position any Nigerian woman has attained. I will miss her because she supplies us with chocolates. It’s a confidence booster for the country at this point in time”, she quipped.
Rounding up the speeches, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said he had been fascinated by her incredible understanding of plenty things, noting that she is vast in many areas . He recalled that when news of her appointment filtered in, he expressed the view that it was a great opportunity and said Nigeria will get a good minister for environment. “But we may not get another shot at the deputy sec gen position. It was such a good position to miss”, Osinbajo observed.
He also disclosed that his daughters also said she was the best and she is a great model, but however joked that his problem with her was that she talks too fast, adding that she had slowed down a bit and he might have influenced that.
Responding ,the outgoing minister, caught in between tears said, “I want to thank God. I would like to thank President Muhammadu Buhari as he gave me the opportunity to serve. To the chief of staff, my wahala was great for you and your support.
“My real gratitude goes to my colleagues. Every one of you have touched my live. Minister of Foreign Affairs, who speaks better than I do; my co- conspirator Udo Udoma”.
Vowing that Nigeria’s flag will fly higher, she also joked that as a Fulani woman, they should expect her to still move around.