The senate has confirmed the appointment of all seven ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, submitted to the upper chamber last week for accelerated consideration.
This follows the screening of the nominees by the upper chamber on Wednesday. The screening exercised was held at the red chamber after it was postponed on Tuesday.
The Senate suspended its rule to admit the ministerial nominees.
The lawmakers began with Nentawe Yilwatda, the nominee appointed to replace Betta Edu as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
They subsequently screened other appointees including Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu nominated as the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi nominated as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole nominated as the Minister of Industry.
Also screened were Idi Maiha as Minister for the newly created Livestock Development Ministry, Yusuf Ata as the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State Education.
All the nominees were asked questions on how to run their various designated ministries effectively, which they answered to the satisfaction of the Senators who subsequently confirmed their appointments.
President Bola Tinubu had last Wednesday sacked five ministers, re-assigned 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios and appointed seven new ministers for Senate confirmation.
Those sacked included Uju-Ken Ohanenye as Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John as Minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman as Minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Ibrahim as Minister of Youth Development.
Among those reassigned were Yusuf Sununu who was removed as the Minister of State for Education and named as the Minister of State, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Olatunji Alausa was reassigned as the Minister of Education, removing him as the Minister of State, Health.
Bello Goronyo was removed as Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation and reassigned as Minister of State Works.
Abubakar Momoh was relieved as Minister of Niger Delta Development and reassigned as Minister of Regional Development.
Tinubu reassigned Uba Maigari Ahmadu as Minister of State, Regional Development, from his previous portfolio as Minister of State, Steel Development.
The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, was reassigned as Minister of State Finance to deputised the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
President Tinubu reassigned Sports Minister John Enoh as the new Minister of State, Trade and Investment.
Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim was removed as Minister of State, Police Affairs and reassigned as Minister of Women Affairs.
Ayodele Olawande was elevated as Minister of Youth Development from his initial portfolio as Minister of State for Youth Development.
Minister of State, Environment, Iziak Salako was reassigned as Minister of State, Health.
Akpabio Chides Senator For Praising Bianca’s Beauty During Screening
Senate President Godswill Akpabio cautioned Senator Osita Ngwu for praising the beauty of Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu during a ministerial screening on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Wednesday.
Bianca, like six other ministerial nominees screened by the Senate, read her credentials before the red chamber and was subsequently quizzed by the lawmakers. She was screened for the post of Minister of State Foreign Affairs.
When Akpabio opened the floor for questions, Ngwu, who currently serves as the Senator representing Enugu West District in the 10th National Assembly, started by applauding Bianca’s beauty to which he attracted a rebuke.
“Mr President, the beautiful nominee standing before us,” the lawmaker said.
“Restrict yourself to the resume. Forget this word beautiful,” Akpabio interjected jocularly. “She didn’t put in the CV that she is beautiful.”
The conversation between Ngwu and Akpabio caused a ripple of laughter among Senators. Ngwu thereafter proceeded to laud the profile and competence of the nominee.
On his part, Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senator representing Abia South District, said Biance’s competence and ability to perform was not in doubt.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for nominating the “mother” of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as a minister. “By bringing an APGA person to be a minister has already started a unity government and national integration,” Abaribe said.
The nominee was subsequently asked to take a bow.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is an accomplished diplomat, lawyer, businesswoman and beauty pageant titleholder.
In 2011, then President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Bianca as Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Affairs. She later became Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana and later Ambassador to the Kingdom Of Spain. She is Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
The widow of former Biafra warlord Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is a multiple international pageant titleholder.
