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Findings have revealed that a former minister of state for health, Muhammad Pate, may make the ministerial list of President Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu, who was sworn in as the nation’s 16th president in May, is yet to send the list of his ministers to the national assembly as required by law.
As stipulated by law, Tinubu is expected to forward the list of his preferred cabinet members to the parliament within 60 days of his assumption of office.
However, almost one month after he was sworn in, he is yet to appoint any minister.
The global vaccine alliance, Gavi, on Monday, June 26, announced Pate’s decision to decline his appointment as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Gavi is a public-private partnership that helps to vaccinate half of the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases.
However, Pate, who was scheduled to assume office as Gavi’s CEO on August 3, informed the organisation that “he has taken an incredibly difficult decision to accept a request to return and contribute to his home country, Nigeria.”
His reason for rejecting GAVI’s appointment has raised speculations that he may be considering a position in Tinubu’s cabinet.
A source, while speaking on the development on Monday, confirmed that Pate’s name was on the list of guests scheduled to see the president “about two weeks ago.”
The source, however, could not confirm if the president eventually met him.
Pate, a medical doctor trained in both internal medicine and infectious diseases, with an MBA from Duke University in the United States, is currently the Julio Frenk professor of public health leadership at Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
The former minister has served on several health-focused boards and expert panels in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors during his career.
Pate served as the global director for Health, Nutrition, and Population of the World Bank, and director of the Global Financing Facility at the World Bank between 2019 and 2021.
He led the bank’s $18 billion COVID-19 global health response and represented the bank on various boards, including those of Gavi, the Global Fund, CEPI and UNAIDS.
As the minister of state for health between 2011 and 2013, he led a flagship initiative to revive routine vaccinations and primary healthcare, and he led a presidential task force to eradicate polio and introduced new vaccines into the country.
It is pertinent to note that Gavi, on February 13, approved the appointment of Pate as its next CEO.
Pate was to replace Seth Barkley, a medical practitioner, who is expected to end his 12-year reign as the organisation’s CEO on August 3.
Gavi announced Pate as Berkley’s successor, even as it promised to continue its work to support routine immunisation, outbreak response and COVID-19 vaccinations worldwide.
However, Gavi, in a statement published on its website on Monday, said that the board decided to appoint David Marlow, currently Gavi’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), to the position of interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), from August 3.
It said that the appointment came on the heels of a communication from Pate, that he will not be able to join Gavi.
“Pate informed the Gavi board chairman and vice-chairman that he has taken an incredibly difficult decision to accept a request to return and contribute to his home country, Nigeria,” the vaccine alliance said.
“Gavi fully respects the decision and wishes Pate the very best for the future.
“On informing Gavi, Pate thanked the chairman of the Gavi Board, José Manuel Barroso, the diverse set of Gavi board members and partners, current CEO, Seth Berkley, and the secretariat staff for their support over the last few months, commenting that he will remain a steadfast champion of the Gavi mission.”
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