Senate Formally Confirms Onu, Fashola, Fayemi, Ngige, Danbazau, Others As Ministers

The Senate, on Wednesday, oficially confirmed the nomination of former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola; former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi; Senator Chris Ngige and 15 others as ministers. Other nominees whose appointments were confirmed are Senator Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom), Dr Ogbonaya Onu (Ebonyi), Audu Ogbe (Benue), Dr Osagie Ehanire (Edo) and Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) (Kano). Also confirmed as ministers by the Senate were NNPC GMD, Ibe Kachikwu (Delta); Alhaji Lai Mohammed (Kwara), Mrs Amina Ibrahim Mohammed (Gombe), Suleiman Mohamed (Jigawa) and Usman Jubril (Nasarawa). Others are Abubakar Malami (Kebbi), Aisha Alhassan (Taraba), Solomon Dalong (Plateau), Kemi Adeosun (Ogun) and Senator Hadi Sirika (Katsina). This brings the number of ministers waiting to be sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari to 18.

The Senate, however, deferred screening and confirmation of Rotimi Amaechi and Adebayo Shittu. Amaechi’s screening was deferred due to inability of Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, to present its report on petition against him, while Shittu’s screening was deferred due to time constraint.
Although the Senate screened the nominees with specific portfolio, the portfolios of the new ministers will be officially made public when they are sworn in by President Buhari.
The President of the Senate in his remarks, commended all the senators for their quality questions and contributions in the course of the screening. He congratulated the confirmed ministers but urged them to hold up their own end of the bargain.
Tribune.