SENATE RELEASES MINISTERIAL LIST, APPROVES SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS
The much awaited Ministerial list has finally been made public by the Senate. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan disclosed the list of 43 Ministerial Nominees received from President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. The List of the yet to be screened Cabinet was read on the floor of the Upper Legislative Chamber sent via Executive Communication.
The screening exercise of the Nominees is scheduled to commence in the next legislative date (tomorrow). According to the list, 36 States of the Federation had One Nominee each while the Six Geo-Political Zones were accorded extra one more Nominee each except for the North-West which has two Nominees.
The list include: 1) Dr. Ukachukwu Ogah – Abia State, 2) Muhammed Musa Bello – Adamawa State, 3) Sen. Godswill Akpabio – Akwa Ibom State, 4) Chris Ngege – Anambra State, 5) Sharon Ikeazu – Anambra State, 6) Adamu Adamu – Bauchi State, 7) Amb. Mariam Katagun – Bauchi State, 8) Timipre Silver – Bayelsa State, 9) Sen. George Akumeh – Benue State, 10) Mustapha Baba Shehuri – Borno State, 11) Goddy Jedi Agba – Cross River State, 12) Festus Keyamo – Delta State, 13) Ogbonnaya Onu - Enugu State, 14) Dr. Osagie Ehanire – Edo State, 15) Clement Anade Agba – Edo State, 16) Adeniyi Adebayo – Ekiti State, 17) Geoffrey Onyeama – Enugu State, 18) Ali Pantami – Gombe State, 19) Emeka Nwajuba - Imo State, 20) Sulaiman Adamu – Jigawa State, 21) Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed – Kaduna State 22) Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud – Kaduna State 23) Sabo Nanono – Kano State, 24) Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi - Kano State, 25) Hadi Sirika – Katsina State, 26) Abubakar Malami – Kebbi State, 27) Ramatu Tijani – Kogi State, 28) Lai Mohammed – Kwara State 29) Gbemisola Saraki – Kwara State 30) Babatunde Raji Fashola – Lagos State 31) Sen. Adeleke Mamora – Lagos State, 32) Mohammed A. Abdullahi – Nasarawa State, 33) Amb. Zubairu Dada – Niger State, 34) Olamilekan Adegbiti – Ogun State, 35) Sen. Tayo Alasuadura - Ondo State, 36) Rauf Aregbesola - Osun State 37) Sunday Dare – Oyo State, 38Pauline Tallen – Plateau State, 39) Rotimi Amaechi – Rivers State, 40) Mohammed Maigari Dangadi Sokoto State, 41) Engr. Sale Mamman – Taraba State, 42) Abubakar B. Aliyu – Yobe State, 43) Sadiya Umar Faruk – Zamfara State.
Meanwhile, the Senate has approved the request of President Muhammadu Buhari and granted approval to the appointment of 15 Special Advisers to Mr. President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The consideration of the request was done in the Senate Committee of the Whole, thereafter, the Chamber revert to plenary and approved the request. Similarly, the Red Chamber has deliberated upon and passed three Motions which include: Exiting Petroleum Subsidy: Ensuring Self Sufficiency in Domestic Refining of Petroleum Products, sponsored by Sen. Rose Okoh (Cross Rivers North) and 42 others. The Motion scaled through with one resolution below: i) Mandate an Ad-hoc Committee to invite the Minister/Minister of State for Petroleum and the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to brief the Committee on the status of existing refineries including private modular refineries and licenses; provide a robust plan/roadmap for exiting importation of refined petroleum products and payment of subsidy and apprise the Committee on a plan for domestic refining with specific time frame. 2) Urgent need for Senate’s intervention on the Militia Attack on Okokolo in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State and four others.
The Red Chamber had noted that the people of Benue South Senatorial District are peace loving people, the State from its inception has been a fertile land and most of the inhabitants are agrarians owing to the agricultural potentials of the State. The Senate is concerned that Agatu Local Government happens to be one of the Local Governments in Benue South Senatorial Zone; it has continuously suffered untold hardship due persistent clashes between herders and farmers which led to loss of lives and properties.
The Motion sailed through with five prayers below: i) Strongly condemn the attacks in Agatu Communities and observe a minute silence for the departed. ii) Direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately intervene and provide relief materials to the people of Okokolo in Agatu Local Government Area. iii) Urge the Federal Government to take a proactive measures to curtail insecurity and malicious killings ravaging the States of the Federation. iv) Urge the relevant Security Agencies to be proactive in order to forestall future occurrence. v) Urge the relevant Security Agencies to intensify the mop up of small arms and light weapons in circulation across the State of the Federation. 3) The deplorable conditions of Ikot-Ekpene-Umuahiya and Aba-Ikot-Ekpene Highways linking Akwa Ibom and Abia States, sponsored by Sen. Ekpenyong C. Stephen (Akwa Ibom North-West) and 34 others.
The Motion sailed through with four resolutions among which were: i) Urge the Federal Government through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to expedite action on intervention measure to salvage the road from total collapse. ii) Urge the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works to commence construction of Aba – Ikon – Ekpene road as a lasting solution and possibly make it dual carriage road.