• Senate clears all seven nominees amid drama, banters
• ‘Nominations of Amb. Ojukwu evidence of inclusive govt’
Fit and proper.
The Senate yesterday gave all seven nominees a clean bill and cleared them to take office as ministers.
The atmosphere in the Red Chamber was convivial during the screening.
There were jokes, banters and mild dramas.
Senators put aside their political differences during the screening.
One by one, beginning with Nentawe Yilwatda, the nominees took turns to address the Committee of the Whole chaired by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Thereafter, the Senate reverted to plenary and Akpabio called for confirmation, listing the nominees one after the other.
Cleared to be sworn in by the President during the next Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting are: Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs), Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda (Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation), Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi (Labour and Employment), Yusuf Abdullahi Ata (Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Minister of Livestock Development), Dr. Jumoke Oduwole (Industries, Trade and Investment) and Suwaiba Said Ahmad (Minister of State for Education).
The President nominated them after last week’s cabinet reshuffle when he sacked five ministers, swapped 10 others and nominated the seven.
Senators collectively praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for putting “round pegs in round holes” with the nominations, which they described as “unifying”.
They also commended the President for attaching portfolios to the names.
Akpabio said it was the first time since 1999 that such an action was being taken by a president.
According to him, this was in line with the calls by the Senate so that screening could be effectively done by directing specific questions at nominees.
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Akpabio said: “No President has done it and no President would have done it except President Tinubu.
“I wish future Presidents would do so by attaching portfolios to names of nominees”.
When Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu, nominee for Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, stepped onto the podium, Sen. Victor Umeh (LP Anambra) while making a case for her clearance, referred to her beauty.
Akpabio interjected, asking him to restrict himself to her resume.
But Umeh said her beauty is daring, referencing her former status as the most beautiful girl in Nigeria.
Binaca was married to the late Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described by Umeh as “our hero and leader”.
Bianca’s late husband was the leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and its presidential candidate.
Akpabio joked with Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, the only APGA senator, that the inclusion of Ambassador Ojukwu in the cabinet of an All Progressives Congress (APC) government, is a threat to APGA, the party of the ministerial nominee.
Abaribe and Umeh hailed the president for bringing the opposition on board, saying he had fostered inclusion.
During the screening, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, former Ambassador to Spain, said many Nigerian embassies are decrepit. She urged the government to refurbish them.
The screening began at about 12:57pm. It lasted for five hours.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion that relevant sections of the Senate Standing Rules be suspended to allow “strangers” into the chambers.
The Senate Leader also moved that the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, be allowed to lead the ministerial nominees into the chambers.
Both motions were seconded by the Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro.
After that, the Senate went into a Committee of the Whole following a motion by Bamidele, which was seconded by Moro.
The Senate had to extend its normal sitting hours.
At about 1.04 pm, Senator Akpabio called the first nominee, Dr. Yilwatda, to mount the podium.
After brief introductions, Senator Sadiq Sulieman asked the nominee what he would do to ensure that monies being allocated to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs get to the majority of the poorest of the poor in Nigeria.
Yilwatda said he would leverage existing data in the custody of relevant agencies to reach out to the poor with the Federal Government’s intervention funds.
However, a follow-up question by Senator Abdul Ningi on whether the nominee intends to deploy Artificial Intelligence in carrying out his functions was aborted following an interjection by Akpabio, who noted that the purpose of the screening was to determine the suitability of the nominee for appointment as minister, which he already did when he answered the first question.
Dingyadi, a former member of the House of Representatives and Police Affairs minister from 2019 – 2023, will superintend over the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
For senators from the Southeast, Bianca Ojukwu’s nomination is “significant and historic”.
To them, it is an indication Nigeria is finally putting the three years of civil war behind it.
The senators also expressed optimism that Ojukwu’s inclusion in the federal cabinet will open more doors for reconciliation.
Senators Umeh, Tony Nwoye and Osita Ngwu extolled the virtues of Bianca, urging their colleagues to support her confirmation.
Abaribe lauded her nomination, saying it marks the beginning of a “government of national unity,” and a stepping stone to national integration.
He said: “Being the only APGA ministerial nominee, I want to urge the President to do more for national integration. This is just the beginning.”
He urged his colleagues to allow Bianca to “take a bow and go.”
Bianca said: “I am here because I believe there is hope for this country. I believe if we are able to commit to the unity of this country and serve this country, there is hope.”
Akpabio threw a question at her, saying: “I sent a delegation to Chad and they said the Nigerian embassy in Chad is in deplorable condition.
“I went to Ghana and they said they have a land which they want to build on. What will you do if on your assumption of office as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs?”
Bianca answered: “I spent one year in a hotel room in Spain as an ambassador because the residence was in deplorable condition.
“However, working with the staff of the embassy, we were able to renovate the embassy building. It was an eyesore. Today, it is a magnificent building. The residence was also upgraded.
“Because of funding, most ambassadors are hamstrung when it comes to renovation of embassies. Well-maintained embassies will give the country the much-needed standing when it comes to diplomatic issues.”
There was a mild drama when Akpabio, thinking that she might have been standing for too long, asked the Sergeant-At-Arms to give her a chair to sit on.
She politely rejected the offer, saying: “I am okay.” The Akpabio added: “We don’t want a disaster here.”
Bianca’s rejection of the offer and Akpabio’s comments drew laughter from senators.
During the 2023 ministerial screening, Kaduna State nominee Balarabe Lawal, Minister of the Environment, slumped while responding to questions, causing a stir.
Housing, livestock plans
When asked by Akpabio what he would do to ensure affordable housing for Nigerians, Ata said having served in the Kano State Housing Corporation for years, he would study the handing over notes of his predecessors, meet with relevant stakeholders and fashion out ways to ameliorate the housing deficit of the country.
Ata said: “The policy of this administration is about two years old. I need to go to the ministry and study the policy. I am committed to affordable housing for all Nigerians.”
The incoming Minister of Livestock Development, Dr. Mukhtar identified the absence of folder and water as the main cause of farmer herder clashes.
Mukhtar, who is a former Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Adamawa State, said he would work with critical stakeholders to put an end to the menace by rehabilitating the 417 grazing reserves in the country, building animal clinics, schools and markets in the locations.
This, he said, remained the number one step in solving the age-long farmer/herder conflicts.
He said he would solicit the support of the critical stakeholders, namely governors, local government chairmen, traditional rulers, farmers and herders.
“Being a member of the Federal cabinet will open more doors for reconciliation.
“I believe when we sit down with the critical stakeholders, we will be able to solve the issue of farmers headers crisis.”
Akpabio said that the conflict in the livestock sector had a direct effect on insecurity in the country.
Focus on investment, productivity, job creation
Oduwole from Lagos State outlined her vision to revitalise the economy through focused investment, productivity, and job creation.
She highlighted the administration’s recent reforms aimed at stabilising the economy and underscored the need for greater alignment of monetary, fiscal, trade, and industrial policies to promote sustainable growth.
“Since the commencement of President Tinubu’s administration, key reforms in monetary and fiscal policy aimed at stabilising the economy have started to deliver some results.
“In terms of inflation, it’s beginning to decline, and tax reforms are ongoing.
“What we need now is a convergence of these pillars with our trade and investment policies to further drive growth,” Oduwole said.
Oduwole addressed Nigeria’s concerning decline in foreign direct investment (FDI), noting that it dropped by about 86 per cent over the past five years, with roughly 20 multinational companies either exiting or scaling down operations.
“If confirmed, I would focus on three priority areas: investment retention and attraction, boosting exports and foreign exchange earnings, and creating productive jobs through a vibrant domestic industry,” she said.
She highlighted a recent $3 billion commitment from Jindal Steel Africa to Nigeria’s steel sector as evidence of the positive impact of the administration’s economic reforms.
Reflecting on efforts to foster youth employment and exports, Oduwole alluded to initiatives that support IT service exports through companies like Outsource Global.
She added: “They’re exporting IT services while young Nigerians work at home, earning foreign exchange without needing to emigrate.
“This proves that Nigeria can be a global hub for service exports, and it’s one of the areas I would prioritise.”
Reacting to the flurry of questions posed to her by senators, Akpabio said: “Sometimes, you have to know that having this type of resume is also a problem.”
The remark drew laughter from senators.
Senator Bamidele commended the President for understanding and responding to the mood of the nation by nominating young persons with requisite capacity into his cabinet.
There was also drama when in referring to Oduwole, Akpabio said: “I offered you a seat, but you said you don’t want to sit. If you fall, it would not be my fault as the Senate President because I have done my part.”
The Senate also confirmed the nomination of Ahmad for appointment as the Minister of State for Education.
‘My seat threatened with Ata as minister’
“My seat in the Senate is threatened following the appointment of Yusuf Abdullahi Ata as minister,” Senator Rufai Hanga said yesterday.
Hanga, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who represents Kano Central District in the Senate, described Ata, a former Speaker of Kano State House of Assembly, as a political juggernaut.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau said the APC will bounce back in Kano in 2027.
There was a mild drama as Hanga paid tribute to the ministerial nominee during the screening.
During last year’s election, Hanga worked against Ata, governorship candidate of the APC.
Both of them are from Kano Central.
Asked by Akpabio to comment on Ata’s suitability for a ministerial role, Hanga, Deputy Minority Whip, said he had no objection.
He said: “The appointment of this political juggernaut threatens me because we are from the same senatorial district.
“He is a grassroots politician who was my ally, but that said, I’m in support of his nomination.”
There was laughter as Akpabio allayed Hanga’s fear, saying that there was no cause for alarm.
The Senate President also described Ata as a nice person and team player.
Akpabio said: “Despite the political party differences, you are all united in supporting the nominee.”
Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) urged his colleagues to allow Ata to take a bow and go, having served as a House of Assembly Speaker.
He described the nominee as a grassroots politician who started politics from scratch, adding that he is deeply connected with the masses.
Hailing Ata’s nomination, Barau commended President Tinubu for choosing him.
He said: “I commend Mr. President for nominating this gentleman for this post. Senator Kawu has said it all.
“He is a strong grassroots politician who started from scratch and got to the top, just as our President. We are always eager to sit with Mr President because he is open.
“In fact, since the inception of democracy in this country in 1999, there has been no time we have elected a president who started from scratch and has reached the top. Our President started from the scratch to the top.
“That is why he knows all parts of the country. If you talk about Ebonyi State, he will tell you about its configuration.”
“If you are talking about the State of Akwa Ibom, just like an encyclopedia, he will tell the names of the major stakeholders there.
“That is why he has decided that this gentleman (Ata) should be a minister because he understands the configuration of Kano State.”
Barau added: “If you go to Kano, our people are praising Mr. President for bringing about inclusion. The nominee is a strategist. He is known for his political sagacity.
“He is known by all and sundry – the youth, the Ulama, the students, women, and the business community; everybody likes him because he interacts with them freely.
“Kano will now be taken back by the APC, Insha Allah. We had a vacuum, and he will now fill it. We are grateful to Mr President in Kano. He recently gave us the North West Development Commission headquarters.
“Kano is grateful to Mr President. We shall continue to support your government, and we shall continue to help strengthen your desire for prosperity for this nation.”