The Senate on Wednesday suspended all items on its Order Paper to commence the screening of ministerial nominees forwarded by President Bola Tinubu.
The motion to prioritize the screening was moved by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and seconded by Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).
At 1:04 p.m., the Senate resolved into the Committee of the Whole, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who began the screening process with Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, Tinubu’s nominee for Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Akpabio asked Yilwatda to present an acknowledged copy of his assets declaration, after which Yilwatda addressed the Senate at 1:08 p.m.
Recall that President Tinubu had written the Senate, seeking for the screening and subsequent confirmation of appointments of seven ministerial nominees announced in Abuja on Wednesday.
President Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio and read last week Thursday during plenary.
The nominees include Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi (Minister of Labour and Employment), Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs), Dr. Jumoke Oduwole (Minister of Industry, Trade, and Development), Idi Muktar Maiha (Minister of Livestock Development), Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata (Minister of State, Housing), and Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad (Minister of State, Education).