Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, paid a visit to the Presidential Villa in light of the chaos that ensued in the Senate regarding the ministerial screening of Festus Keyamo.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, representing Abia Central, put forth a motion to suspend Keyamo’s screening.
This motion was made due to Keyamo’s failure to attend multiple invitations by the National Assembly when he held the position of Minister of State for Labour, Employment, and Productivity. During the screening, the Senate was thrown into disarray.
Senator Nwokocha accused Keyamo of evading questions regarding the implementation of the Special Public Works program, which aimed to empower 1,000 Nigerians from each of the 774 local governments across the country.
The program had allocated a staggering 52 billion naira to provide 20,000 naira per person for six months.
To address Keyamo’s unruly behavior, Senator Nwokocha invoked the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which grants the National Assembly the authority to oversee public funds and the conduct of public officials.
Nwokocha also called for the suspension of Keyamo’s screening until he clarified his handling of the 52 billion naira allocated for the Special Public Works program.
In an attempt to conduct a vote on the motion, the chamber became too chaotic for Senate President Godswill Akpabio to make a ruling. To restore order, Akpabio had to stand and address the uproar.
To diffuse the tension, the Senate later held a closed session to deliberate on the issue.
Temmyabbe (
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