Senate confirms Buhari’s 43 ministerial nominees

The Senate yesterday confirmed all the 43 ministerial nominees submitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari after a five-day screening exercise.

One after the other, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan mentioned the names of the nominees, raising question on whether they should be confirmed or not, the senators responded in affirmative.

The nominees are Sen Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom),Sen Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Uchechukwu Ogah (Abia) Sen George Akume (Benue), Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi),Emeka Nwajiuba (Imo), Sen Adeleke Mamora

(Lagos), Olamilekan Adegbite (Ogun), Adamu Adamu (Bauchi), Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra) and Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Borno)

Others are Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Sen Chris Ngige (Anambra), Richard Adeniyi Adebayo (Ekiti), Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (Kano), Ramatu Tijani (Kogi), Mohammed Abdullahi (Nasarawa), Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo), Abubakar D. Aliyu (Yobe), Zubairu Dada (Niger), Sunday Dare (Oyo) and Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa).

Also confirmed are Sadiya Umar Farouk (Zamfara), Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna), Osagie Ehanire (Edo), Sen Hadi Sirika (Katsina), Abubakar Malami (Kebbi), Paulen Tallen (Plateau), Maigari Dingyadi (Sokoto), Festus Keyamo (Delta), Ali Isa Pantami (Gombe), Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara) and Goddy Jedy-Agba (Cross River).

Others are Sulaiman Adamu (Jigawa), Maryam Katagun (Bauchi), Clement Agba (Edo), Geoffrey Onyeama (Enugu), Muhammad Mahmoud (Kaduna) Babatunde Raji Fashola (Lagos), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Sabo Nanono (Kano), Lai Mohammed (Kwara) and Saleh Mamman (Taraba).

Meanwhile, Sen Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT) presented a petition by his constituents over the exclusion of the FCT from the ministerial list.

Citing an Appeal Court Judgement of January 2018, Aduda appealed to the Senate as the State House Assembly of the FCT to look into the matter.

Lawan referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

Lawan said by the confirmation of all the nominees, they have demonstrated that they are set to work for Nigerians.

He said it was their desire and hope that the 2020 budget be presented to the National Assembly by end of September or the first week of October.

“It is our determination and resolve that we are able to work on the budget and before Christmas,” he said.

Contacted on when the President would inaugurate the ministers, presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina said, “There will be official communication on the next step.”