Posted by On Monday, the Senate approved 45 of President Bola Tinubu’s 48 ministry candidates.
The nominations of Nasir El-Rufai, ex-governor of Kaduna State; Sani Abubakar Danladi, ex-vice governor of Taraba State; and Stella Okotete, ex-executive director of business development at the Nigeria Import and Export Bank, were, however, delayed.
After being screened by the Committee of the Whole, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the Senate floor, the confirmation of the appointments of others followed.
After President Tinubu nominated them in two separate batches as ministers and wrote to the Senate seeking confirmation, they were approved a few days later.
The newly confirmed ministers are geographically distributed as follows: 9 from the North West, 9 from the South West, 8 from the North East, 8 from the North Central, 7 from the South South, 5 from the South East.
Jigawa’s Badaru Abubakar, Kano’s Mariya Mahmoud, Katsina’s Ahmed Dangiwa, Hannatu Musawa, Kebbi’s Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Atiku Bagudu, Sokoto’s Bello Muhammad Goronyo, and Zamfara’s Bello Matawalle are the new ministers appointed from the North-West.
Dele Alake, who represents Ekiti State; Tunji Alausa, Lola Ade John, Olawale Edun, Dr. Ishak Salako, and Bosun Tijjani; Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, Ondo; Adegboyega Oyetola, Osun; and Waheed Adebayo Adelabu, Oyo; are all from the South West.
Prof. Tahir Mamman of Adamawa State, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar of Bauchi State, Ali Pate of Bauchi State, Abubakar Kyari of Borno State, Alkali Ahmed Saidu of Gombe State, Uba Maigari Ahmadu of Taraba State, and Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State are the new ministers.
Joseph Utsev of Benue State, Shuaibu Abubakar Audu of Kogi State, Lateef Fagbemi of Kwara State, Iman Suleiman Ibrahim of Nasarawa, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi of Niger, Muhammad Idris of Niger, Simon Lalong of Plateau State, and Muhammad Idris of Niger make up the North-Central.
From the FCT, we have Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo.
Ekperikpe Ekpo of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Heineken Lokpobri of Bayelsa, Dr. Betta Edu of Cross River, Senator John Enoh of Cross River, Festus Keyamo of the Delta State, Abubakar Momoh of the Edo State, and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State all hail from the South-South geopolitical zone.
Uju Kennedy Ohaneye of Anambra State, David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Nkeiruka Onyejocha of Abia State, and Doris Aniche Uzoka of Enugu State all hail from the South East.
The Red Chamber had already interviewed the President’s last two cabinet candidates earlier in the day.
Festus Keyamo, SAN of Delta State and Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure of Kano State.
Dr. Maryam Shetty, originally nominated by Tinubu of Kano, was replaced by Dr. Mahmud-Bunkure of the same state on Friday, August 4.
He also nominated Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, the former Minister of State for Labor and Employment, in a letter to the Senate President that was read on the Senate floor.
The first group of 28 nominees was sent to the Senate on Thursday, July 27, by the President’s Chief of Staff and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and the second and final group of 19 nominees was sent on Wednesday, August 2, by the same aide.
When asked about the status of other nominations, the Senate President stated they will be confirmed if they received clearance from security services.