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| President Muhammadu Buhari |
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday submitted the long awaited list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, was said to have personally submitted the ministerial list to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan in the early hours of Tuesday.
Lawan read the names of the nominees on the floor of the Senate immediately after a closed session held by the lawmakers.
Insiders said that the Senate President broke the news of the submission of the list of ministerial nominees at the closed session.
After reading the names of the nominees, Lawan announced that screening and confirmation of the nominees would begin on Wednesday.
The Senate President added that other legislative activities in the chamber would take back seat to ensure the speedy completion of the important assignment.
In the 43-name ministerial list, 11 were reappointed.
Those who made the ministerial list included former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume, former Bayelsa State Governor, Timpreye Sylva and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
The full list as submitted by President Buhari included:
Uchechukwu Oga (Abia State), Muhammadu Musa Bello (Adamawa), Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Senator Chris Ngige, and Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra), Adamu Adamu and Ambassador Mariah Katagum (Bauchi).
Others are Timipreye Sylva (Bayelsa), Senator George Akume (Benue State), Mustapha Baba (Borno State), Goody Eddy Agba (Cross Rivers), Festus Keyamo (Delta State), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi State).
Also included in the list of nominees are: Dr. Osagie Ehinire, Clement Agba (Edo State), Richard Adeniyi Adebayo (Ekiti State), Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu State), Ali Isa Ibrahim Patani (Gombe State), Emeka Nwajuba (Imo State), Suleiman H.Adamu (Jigawa State), Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Dr. Muhammed Mahmood (Kaduna)
President Buhari also listed Sabo Nanono and Major General Salihi Magashi (rtd) (Kano State), Senator Hadhi Sirika (Katsina), Abubakar Malami (Kebbi State), Ramatu Tijjani (Kogi), Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara State).
Babatunde Raji Fasola and Adeleke Mamora (Lagos State), Mohammed Abdullahi (Nasarawa), Architect Olamilekan Adegbiti (Ogun State), Ambassador Zuberu Dada (Niger State), Senator Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo State), Rauf Aregbesola, Sunday Dare (Oyo State), Pauline Tallen (Plateau State), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers State) also made the list.
President Buhari also nominated Muhammed Margarito Danhyaddi (Sokoto State), Saleh Mamman (Taraba State), Abubakar Ali (Yobe State) and Sadia Umar Farooq (Zamfara State.)
The Screening and confirmation of the would-be ministers may be completed before the week runs out, going by the announcement of Senate President that every other thing in the Senate would wait to enable the chamber give full attention to the list of ministerial nominees.
Former Benue State Governor, Sentor Gabriel Suswam, said that the chamber had never been depleted as it was on Tuesday since the announcement of the names of proposed ministers.
Suswam noted that many senators left the chamber immediately after the announcement of the names of the would be ministers.
Senate President quickly countered that those who left went to prepare questions for the nominees.
