After eight days of screening of 48 Ministerial nominees forwarded to it at different times by President Bola Tinubu for confirmation , the Senate confirmed appointments of all the nominees as Ministers of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Leading the pack of confirmed Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the Publisher of the Blueprint Newspaper, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi from Niger State who was among the 28 nominees first forwarded to the Senate by President Tinubu penultimate Thursday and screened last week Wednesday.
It however withheld confirmation of Mallam Nasir El – Rufai from Kaduna State, Sani Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State and Stella Okotete from Delta State.
This is even as it humbled one of the confirmed nominees , now Ministers – Designate , Festus Keyamo ( SAN) from Delta State by making him to tender apology for his refusal to honour Senate summons in the past and furnish it with information on how the N52billion public works across the 774 local government councils were implemented between 2020 and 2021.
The 44 other nominees confirmed as Ministers – Designate, are Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi from Niger State , Ekperikpe Ekpo from Akwa Ibom , Senator Heineken Lolokpobri from Bayelsa State , Betta Edu from Cross River State , John Enoh from Cross River State and Abubakar Momoh from Edo State.
Also confirmed as Ministers – Designate are Stella Okotete from Delta State , Festus Keyamo from Delta State, Nyesom Wike from Rivers State, Tahir Mamman from Adamawa State, Yusuf M Tuggar from Bauchi State, Ali Pate from Bauchi State, Abubakar Kyari from Borno State , Alkali Ahmed Saidu from Gombe State and Uba Maigari Ahmadu from Taraba State.
Others are Senator Ibrahim Geidam from Yobe State , Senstor Sani Danladi from Taraba State, Mohamed Badaru from Jigawa State, Nasir El-Rufai from Kaduna State, Mariya Bunkure from Kano State, Abdullahi T Gwarzo from Kano State , Ahmad Dangiwa from Katsina State , Hanatu Musawa from Katsina State , Yusuf Tanko Sununu from Kebbi State and Atiku Bagudu also from Kebbi state.
Also confirmed as Ministers of government of the federal republic of Nigeria are Bello M Goronyo from Sokoto State, Bello Matawwalle from Zamfara State, Hon Nkiru Onyejiocha from Abia State, Uju Ohaneye from Anambra State, Senator David Umahi from Ebonyi State, Uche Nnaji from Enugu State , Doris Uzoka from Imo State , Dele Alake from Ekiti State, Tunji Alausa from Lagos State and Lola Ade John from Lagos State.
Others are Isiaka Salako from Ogun State, Bosun Tijani from Ogun State, Olawale Edun from Ogun State, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo from Ondo State , Adegboyega Oyetola from Osun State, Adebayo Adelabu from Oyo State, Joseph Utsev from Benue State, Hon Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo from FCT, Shuaibu A Audu from Kogi State, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) from Kwara State, Imaan S-Ibrahim from Nasarawa State and Simon Lalong from Plateau state.
Non – confirmation of El – rufai and two others , as explained by the President of the Senate , Godswill Akpabio , is due to security checks still being conducted on petitions written against them by appropriate authorities.
“For clarification, the Senate today (Monday) confirmed 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees forwarded to us by the President, who are now Ministers – Designate.
“The non – confirmation of three out of the 48, dwells on security checks still being conducted on petitions against the affected nominees.
Before the confirmation of the 45 Ministers – Designate, the Senate had rowdy session during screening of Festus Keyamo.
Trouble came the way of Keyamo during the aborted screening , when the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate , Senator Darlington Nwokocha ( LP Abia Central) , raised constitutional point of order to move a motion to suspend the screening exercise.
Nwokocha who raised section 88(b) of the Constitution to move the motion , drew attention of the Senate to disobedience of summon served on Keyamo by both the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2020 over implementation of N52billion public works across the 774 local government councils in Nigeria.
Senator Enyinnnaya Abaribe (APGA Abia South), seconded the motion, which led to chaos in the Senate, when it was put to voice votes by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
The Senate Leader , Opeyemi Bamidele ( APC Ekiti Central) , however rescued the red chamber from the chaotic session by calling for closed door session , which was seconded by the minority leader , Simon Nwadkwon ( PDP South)
But after the closed door session which lasted for four hours , Keyamo was made to apologise to the Senate over his alleged wrong doings in the past.
He was specifically as moved by Senator Godiya Akwashiki ( SDP Nasarawa North ) , to go and sin no more .
