President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees faced continued scrutiny by the Senate. The session commenced at 11 a.m., and a total of seven nominees were scheduled to appear before the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly.
According to the Premium Times, those slated to appear before the lawmakers were Uba Ahmadu from Taraba, Tahir Mamman from Adamawa, Lola John from Lagos, Bosun Tijani from Ogun, Ishak Salako from Ogun, Mairiga Mahmud from Kano, and Festus Keyamo from Delta.
Interestingly, the nominations of Festus Keyamo, a senior lawyer and former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and Mairiga Mahmud were not originally part of the two lists transmitted to the Senate by President Tinubu.
This surprising announcement was made by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during the plenary session on Friday.
During the proceedings on Friday, the Senate President read a letter from President Tinubu, replacing one of the two nominees from Kano, Maryam Shetty, with Mrs. Mahmud. The reason behind this substitution was not disclosed in the correspondence.
President Tinubu had initially sent 28 nominees on July 27 and an additional 19 nominees on August 3 to the Senate for confirmation.
With the inclusion of Mr. Keyamo, the total number of ministerial nominees increased from 47 to 48, a move that has been criticized by some Nigerians who argue that the size of the cabinet should be reduced to cut down on the cost of governance.
Thus far, the Senate has screened 41 nominees in extended sessions that began on July 31. According to the rules, this screening process will take place at the Committee of the Whole, with the Senate President presiding as chairman.
It is anticipated that the lawmakers will conclude the exercise today and announce their decisions regarding the confirmation or nonacceptance of any of the ministers. This critical legislative responsibility has caused a deferral of the recess, which was originally scheduled to take place.
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