All seven ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu today scaled the hurdle at a screening session in the Upper Legislature.
The screening was shifted from yesterday as the Senate cited the need for additional time to complete necessary documentation as the reason for the postponement.
This adjustment is to allow nominees ample time to finalize all pre-screening requirements before their appearances.
Senator Basheer Lado, Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, conveyed the change through an official statement titled: “Postponement of Ministerial Screening.” The announcement stated that the screening will now take place at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
“The scheduled screening of ministerial nominees has been postponed by the Senate,” Lado stated. “This is to ensure all nominees conclude necessary documentation processes.”
On Monday, Lado had previously confirmed that the screening would proceed as initially scheduled on Tuesday. However, nominees required extra time to submit final documents to the Senate ahead of their official review.
On Wednesday, the lawmakers began with Nentawe Yilwatda, the nominee appointed to replace Betta Edu as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty.
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.
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