Senate Screens 26 Ministerial Nominees As Idi Hong Makes List

ABUJA March 30, (THEWILL) - Senate has so far screened 26 out of the 39 ministerial nominees sent to it for clearance by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Acting President had Tuesday morning sent an additional nominee to the Senate for clearance as Minister, bringing the total number of nominees before the Senate to 39.

The Acting President in a letter read on the floor of the Senate by Senate President David Mark at the opening of plenary on Tuesday included the name of Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong (Adamawa), former Minister of State for health.

Out of the 39 nominees 14, were members of the dissolved cabinet while the remaining 25 are fresh appointees.

Those screened on Tuesday include serving Senator Bala Mohammed from Bauchi State who is expected to have express clearance by his colleagues.

Senator Mohammed elected into the Senate on the platform of the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) is the chairman of the Nigeria Integrity Group (NIG) which mounted the agitation in the Senate for the confirmation of Jonathan as Acting President.

Mohammed who participated in the screening of other nominees was asked to take a bow by his colleagues after the Senate President charged him to be a good ambassador of the Senate in the federal executive.

It was gathered that he has been tipped by some northern politicians to replace Senator Adamu Aliero as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja as against Murtala Yar’Adua, a nephew of the ailing President Yar’Adua preferred by some elements around Aso Rock Villa.

Murtala Yar’Adua is one of the 14 new fresh ministerial nominees sent by Jonathan.

Nominees screened Tuesday include Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi former Minister of Youth and Social development, (Osun); Isa Bio, former minister of Transport, (Kwara); Peter Godsday Orubebe, former Minister of State, Niger Delta (Delta); Nuhun Wya former Minister of State for power, (Kaduna); Odein Ajumogobia, former Minister of State for Petroleum resource, (Rivers); and Dieziani Allison-Madueke, former Minister of Mines and Steels, (Bayelsa).

Others are John Odey, former Minister of Environment (Cross River); Aderemi Babalola, former Minister of State for Finance (Oyo); Humphrey Abba, former Minister of State for Commerce; and Senator Sanusi Dagash, former Minister of National Planning (Borno).

Others screened include new nominees Chukwuemeka Wogu (Abia), Josephine Anenih (Anambra) Labaran Maku (Nasarawa), Chris Ogiemwonyi (Edo), Suleiman Bello (Zamfara), Murtala Yar’Adua (Katsina).

Also screened are Josephine Tapgun (Plateau), Mohammed Adoke (Kogi), Captain Ernest Olubolade (Ekiti), Senator Jibril Martins Kuye (Ogun), Nduese Essien (Akwa Ibom), Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho (Imo).