Senate Clears Akunyili, Usman and 36 Others as Ministers

PHOTO: RETURNING MINISTERS; L-R: REMI BABALOLA; IDI HONG; ADETOKUNBO KAYODE; AND ODEIN AJUMOGOBIA.

ABUJA March 31, (THEWILL) - After three days of hurried screening, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday cleared the 38 out of the 39 ministerial nominees sent to it by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan including Professor Dora Akunyili former Minister of Information and Shamsudeen Usman, former Minister of Finance.

The upper house which adjourned plenary for about ten minutes to pass its votes and proceedings on the screening had to speed up the exercise to enable the Acting President swear in the Ministers on Thursday.

It was however silent on the nomination of Umar Aliyu from Taraba State as he was not called up for screening though his name was listed in the order paper.

Senate President David Mark said Senate had to expedite the screening and clearance in furtherance of the application of the doctrine of necessity to ensure the smooth running of government in the country.

Akunyili and Usman were cleared by the Senate following a majority voice vote in their favour despite opposition from some lawmakers.

Usman’s appearance at the Senate for screening on Wednesday morning meant the Presidency had given the Senate the green light to screen him after stalling his screening on Tuesday.

Senators from the north had kicked against Akunyili’s nomination following the perception from some elements in the north that she worked against the ailing President at the peak of agitations for his removal on account of his ill health.

The former minister incurred the wrath of the north when she presented a memo at the Council meeting seeking it to discuss the health of the President to enable it vote on the matter in line with section 144 of the constitution.

Some lawmakers from the north had mounted pressure on the Acting President to replace her with Senator Joy Emordi whose election was annulled by the Appeal Court but the agitation fell on deaf ears as Jonathan still retained her on the list.

However majority of the Senators at plenary Wednesday voted in her favour despite dissenting voices from lawmakers from the north led by Senator Kanti Bello and other senators from Katsina, home state of the ailing President.

It was however gathered that Usman’s nomination was opposed by some influential politicians especially in the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on the ground that he performed below par in the last cabinet.

Out of the 38 cleared ministers 14 were members of the dissolved cabinet while the remaining 25 are fresh appointees.

The re-appointed ministers whose nominations were confirmed yesterday are Fidelia Njeze (Enugu), Adetokunbo Kayode (Ondo), Dora Akunyili (Anambra), Godswill Orubebe (Delta), Nuhu Way (Kaduna), Odein Ajumogobia (Rivers) and Akinlabi Olasunkanmi (Osun). Others are Dieziani Allison-Madueke (Bayelsa) Isa Bio, (Kwara), John Odey (Cross River), Remi Babalola, (Oyo), Humphrey Abbah, (Kogi), Idi Hong  (Adamawa) Shamsudeen Usman (Kano) and Sanusi Dagash (Borno). 



Confirmed new nominees include Chukwuemeka Wogu (Abia), Josephine Anenih (Anambra), Labaran Maku (Nasarawa), Bala Mohammed, a serving senator from Bauchi, Suleiman Bello (Zamfara), Murtala Yar’Adua  (Katsina), Nduese Essien (Akwa Ibom) and Josephine Tapgun (Plateau). 



Also confirmed are Mohammed Adoke  (Kogi), Ernest Olubolade (Ekiti), Jibril Martins-Kuye (Ogun), Chris Ogiemwonyi (Edo) and Emmanuel Iheanacho (Imo). 



Others are Olusegun Aganga  (Lagos), M.K.Abubakar (Kebbi), Adamu Waziri, (Yobe), Awodele Adewale-Alao  (Ogun), Abubakar Mohammed (Gombe), Yusuf Suleiman, (Sokoto), Ruqaiya Rufai  (Jigawa), Musa Sada  (Katsina), Sheik Abddalla (Niger) and Samuel Odeh (Benue).

Nominations are still expected from Ebonyi and Taraba states after the Senate resumes from Easter break.