The red chamber will today commence the screening procedure of ministerial nominees sent to them by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Senate is also slated to sit on Friday and Monday for the continuation of the same exercise even as it has postponed its annual recess earlier slated to commence Thursday by a week to screen the ministerial nominees.
President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan after a closed-door meeting during plenary yesterday revealed that “The screening of the ministerial nominees will commence tomorrow (today). All other legislative activities will take backstage for this very important national assignment,”
The nomination by the president was in line with section 147(2) of the 1999 constitution, according to the letter transmitted to the Senate on Monday.
Accordingly, the number of the nominees is higher than those nominated during the year 2015 as President Buhari has promised to increase the slots.
Anambra, Bauchi, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara and Lagos states were given two ministerial slots each.
Out of the six geopolitical zones, only North-west got two extra slots.
President Buhari in an effort to balance gender balance has increased the number of females from six in 2015 to seven, just as the number of ministerial positions increased to 43. The ministerial list was also presented four months earlier than that of 2015.
Accordingly, the analysis showed that eight former governors and seven senators were nominated. It is speculated that the senators will just take a bow and go during the screening, based on the senate’s tradition.
Amongst the ministers, reappointments are; Osagie Ehanire (Edo, State Health); Geoffrey Onyeama (Enugu, Foreign Affairs); Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa, Water Resources); Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna, Finance); Hadi Sirika (Katsina, State Aviation); Abubakar Malami (Kebbi, Justice); Lai Mohammed (Kwara, Information); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos, Power, Works & Housing); and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers, Transportation). Chris Ngige (Anambra, Labour & Employment); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi, Education); Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Borno, State Power, Works & Housing); Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi, Science & Technology); and Mohammed Musa Bello, (Adamawa, FCT)
Meanwhile, some of the new nominees are already holding positions in the Buhari administration. They include Ikeazor, Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD); Pantami, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Mahmood, Board Chairman, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); Dare, Commissioner, National Communications Commission (NCC); Tallen, Special Assistant; Faruk, Federal Commissioner of National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, among others.
