By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja

The Senate yesterday confirmed 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees sent it by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with security checks blocking former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and two others from confirmation.

The other two nominees affected by the security checks are former Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Sani Danladi and the former Executive Director of Nexim Bank, Stella Okotete who is from Delta State.

President Tinubu had transmitted 47 names in two batches to the Senate, through his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila on Monday last week.

Afterwards, the presidency withdrew the name of Dr.

The confirmation follows after the screening and approval of the nominees by the Senate, after a week of thorough drills of the nominees from Monday last week until yesterday.

The Senate however had it smooth with all the nominees except Barrister Festus Keyamo, who was the last to be screened. The Senate had earlier raised a motion to stand down his screening and subsequent confirmation over his unruly attitude and negligence to invitations earlier sent him in the 9th senate.

The motion so moved by Darlington Nwokeocha (Labour Party, Abia Central) and seconded by Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) threw the Senate into disarray, prompting some to leave the red chambers. The situation was hitherto brought to normalcy by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio who called for a two hour break so they could discuss the matter off camera.

Within the break period however, the Senate President immediately drove off for a rendezvous with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, in company of Senate Leader, Bamidele Opeyemi.

Upon his return from the meeting with President Tinubu, the Senate resumed the screening of Festus Keyamo who apologized for his negligence of the parliamentarians during the previous session. After his apologies, the Senators forgave him and told him to “go and sin no more”.

He was then screened and subsequently approved and confirmed with the other 45 nominees earlier screened.

Our correspondent reports that the Senate had screened Dr. Mariya Bunkure, from Kano State earlier in the day, before Festus Keyamo. Dr. Bunkure was brought in as a replacement for Dr. Maryam Shetty without any official explanation by the federal government.

The list of the 45 ministerial nominees as confirmed by the Senate through Godswill Akpabio, Senate President are: Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom), Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa), Betta Edu (Cross River), John Enoh (Cross River), Abubakar Momoh (Edo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Tahir Mamman (Adamawa), Yusuf M Tuggar (Bauchi), Ali Pate ( Bauchi), Festus Keyamo (Delta), Abubakar Kyari (Borno), Alkali Ahmed Saidu (Gombe), Uba Maigari Ahmadu (Taraba), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Mohamed Badaru(Jigawa), Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger), Mariya Bunkure ( Kano), Abdullahi T Gwarzo (Kano), Ahmad Dangiwa (Katsina), Hanatu Musawa (Katsina), Yusuf Tanko Sununu (Kebbi), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Bello M Goronyo (Sokoto) and Bello Matawwalle (Zamfara).

Others are Nkiru Onyejiocha (Abia), Uju Ohaneye (Anambra), David Umahi ( Ebonyi), Chief Uche Nnaji (Enugu), Doris Uzoka (Imo), Dele Alake (Ekiti), Tunji Alausa (Lagos), Lola Ade John (Lagos), Ishak Salako (Ogun), Bosun Tijjani (Ogun), Olawale Edun (Ogun), Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo(Ondo), Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo), Joseph Utsev (Benue), Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo (FCT), Shuaibu Audu (Kogi), Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara), Imaan S-Ibrahim (Nasarawa) and Mohammed Idris (Niger).

Keyamo  Undergoes Screening After Apology to Lawmakers

A ministerial nominee from Delta State, and immediate past Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, was yesterday screened by the Senate after he apologised to the lawmakers over an alleged misconduct to the legislature.

Keyamo’s screening at plenary yesterday followed his apology to lawmakers over his conduct in 2020, when it was said he ignored summons of both chambers of National Assembly to explain disbursement of N52 billion public works programme of the Federal Government.

Earlier, the Senate had dissolved into closed session over motion to suspend the screening of Keyamo.

The motion, which generated altercation amongst the senators, was sponsored by Sen. Dalington Nwokocha (LP-Abia).

Nwokocha had raised a motion for suspension of Kayemo’s screening pending investigation and explanation on how disbursement of N52 billion public works programme to Nigerians across 774 local governments during his tenure as Minister of State, Labour and Productivity.

On resumption from closed session, Keyamo apologised to the lawmakers over his conduct in 2020 to both chambers of National Assembly, when he was invited to explain the ministry’s activities on the public works programme.

He thereafter explained payment to the beneficiaries of the public works programme was made by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) direct to the beneficiaries account with their verifiable BVN.

According to him, every beneficiary was duly registered and documented and could be verified by the Senate.

President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio noted that government was a continuum, adding that the Senate has the right to investigate payment of the money to the beneficiaries.

Sen. Godiya Akwasiki (SDP-Nasarawa) however urged the senate to accept the apology tendered by the nominee, given his remorseful disposition.

Sen. Alli Ndume (APC-Borno) thereafter moved a motion that senate accept the apology of the nominee, while Sen. Jaribe Agom (PDP- Cross River) moved another motion that the nominee take leave of the senate, after his his apology was accepted by the senate, given the ruling of President of Senate.

Akpabio consequently ruled further that the nominee took a leave of the senate.

Senate thereafter dissolved into another closed session to continue the legislative business of the day.