THE SENATE on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of all the seven ministerial nominees transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, last week.
The confirmation brings to 50 the total number of ministers serving under the Tinubu presidency.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the confirmation of the ministers after they were cleared through a voice vote by senators at the plenary.
The new ministers include: Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Muhammadu Dingyadi Maugari as Minister of Labour and Employment and Bianca Ojukwu as Minister of State Foreign Affairs.
Others are Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mukhtar Maiha as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development and Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State Education.
The nominees were screened and cleared by the senators at the Committee of Whole chaired by the Senate President.
The screening started about 1pm with Basheer Lado, the president’s Special Adviser on Senate Matters, leading the nominees into the chamber.
The senators asked the nominees questions about how they would use their respective offices to improve the country’s economy and resolve the nation’s challenges.
However, some of the ministers, such as Dingyadi and Ata, were not questioned during the screening. They were directed to introduce themselves and thereafter “take a bow and go” because they had earlier occupied ministerial positions. This is in line with the National Assembly’s tradition.
Mrs Ahmad, the designated minister of state for education, was also not questioned during the screening, as a gesture to support the advocacy for increased women participation in governance.
After the confirmation at about 5pm, Senator Akpabio congratulated the ministers on their appointment.
