News Post

The Senate on Tuesday October 20, 2015 screened two more Ministerial nominees; Adebayo Shittu from Ogbomoso in Oyo State and a serving House of Representative Member, Khadijah Abba Ibrahim, representing Gulani/Gujabadamaturu/Tarmuwa Federal Constituency of Yobe State.

    

In his response to a question on poor justice administration, Adebayo Shittu informed that successive administrations failed to separate the office of Minister of Justice from that of Attorney General of the Federation through a constitutional amendment. “I am aware that there are agitations for separation of the Office of the Attorney General from that of Minister of Justice. It is unfortunate that Nigeria does not have these separate offices”, he said.

Shittu also cleared the air on allegations of religious extremism against him following Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s question as to how he intended to serve as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having been allegedly indicted for religious intolerance.

He answered with these words, “I say with all sense of responsibility that I have never been indicted by any panel of enquiry, in that year 2000, I was the secretary of the National Commission on Hajj and away in Saudi Arabia on national assignment when the crisis occurred.

 

“I have written seven standard books and other pamphlets on Islam because I believe in writing and that life must be of service to God. There is no nexus between the cause of the crises and any of my books. A lot of people may be religious but not Godly and I see Nigeria as a country of religiousity and not Godliness.

“Godliness is not reflected in our behaviours. I have always had this abiding faith in the fact that Nigerians must be moralized, Nigerians must move more to God rather than a mere show of religiosity, I remain a bridge builder, a social mixer. So, I am not an extremist but I believe in God and I believe that everybody must work towards a more Godly society”, he concluded.

In the case of Honourable Khadijat Abah-Ibrahim, a three time and serving House of Representatives members and former first lady of Yobe State married to Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, a two time and former governor of Yobe State and serving Senator, the Senators unanimously asked her to take a bow and go. 

The Senate Plenary has been adjourned till Thursday, October 22.