By David Olalekan.
The immediate-past Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu has lamented his exclusion from President Muhammadu Buhari’s 43-man cabinet list.
The former minister, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed he had expected to be reappointed by the President but has taken his exclusion as the will of God.
The controversial politician disclosed his intention to return to his legal profession having been a lawyer for 40 years.
He said: “Of course, I expected that I will be reappointed (as a minister) but when it didn’t happen, as a Muslim, it didn’t take me five minutes before I accepted that what has come was the will of God.
“And I have also found comfort in a Quranic verse when God promised that what is to come later is better than what is with you now.
“So for me, it says we must accept that there is always something better with God which he gives to his beloved. I see myself as a beloved of God.
“I want to thank God that I am one politician who has a second address in the sense that, if I am not a minister, I will be doing some other productive things which will also contribute to national development.
“Of course, I would have wished that I have other opportunities to serve. I believe the chapter of my public service is not closed.
“By the grace of God, I will continue to be relevant in national development.
“As a lawyer of about 40 years, I now have my chambers opened in Abuja. So now, I am back in practice.”
Shittu thanked President Buhari for the opportunity to serve at the national level after several years of service at the grassroots.
Recall that Adebayo Shittu and 17 other ex-ministers failed to return to the President’s second term cabinet.
The former minister also failed in his bid to contest the 2019 Oyo governorship election for skipping the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).