By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate yesterday confirmed the nomination of three ministerial nominees, Messrs Balarabe Abbas Lawal (Kaduna), Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Kwara), and Ayodele Olawande (Ondo) as ministers.
The senators supported their confirmation in a voice vote immediately after their screening exercise during plenary.
Balarabe from Kaduna State had earlier collapsed inside the Senate chamber when he appeared before the senators for screening.
He was the second nominee to be screened after Bio Ibrahim.
He collapsed more than 15 minutes into his screening exercise.
Balarabe collapsed when Kaduna South Senator, Sunday Marshall Katung, was speaking about his administrative experience in Kaduna State.
The Kaduna lawmaker, who endorsed Balarabe’s ministerial nomination, said all the three senators from the state have no objection to his nomination.
Katung had not finished his remarks when the nominee collapsed, prompting the Senate President Godswill Akpabio to shout, “Give him water, give him water and sugar.”
Akpabio immediately ordered journalists and cameras out of the Senate chamber while the live streaming of the screening was also halted.
A lawmaker, who did not want to be named, later said Balarabe has been stabilised.
“The man is okay now,” the senator simply told reporters.
The Senate resumed the ministerial screening almost one hour after the incident.
Speaking before calling the last nominee, Olawande from Ondo, the Senate President said Balarabe admitted that he was exhausted having been overworked for some days before the screening.
“The nominee, Mr Balarabe Abbas Lawal said he was quite exhausted, and that he rushed to Abuja for his ministerial screening,” the Senate President said. Akpabio said the nominee insisted on going ahead with the screening, saying he was fine.
However, the Senate president called the last nominee, Olawande for screening.
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Abbas Balarabe as a ministerial nominee.
He will replace former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, in the federal cabinet.
El-Rufai was earlier nominated as a minister but his appointment was not confirmed by the Senate.
The replacement was conveyed in a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio at the plenary.
The Senate had in August refused to confirm the nomination of El-Rufai alongside former Nexim Bank, Managing Director, Stella Okotete (Delta State) and Abubakar Danladi, a nominee from Taraba State over security clearance.
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*Tribune reporter slumps, dies on N’ Assembly premises
Meanwhile, the correspondent of the Tribune Newspaper in the Senate, Tijani Adeyemi, had a cardiac arrest in one of the National Assembly shuttle buses yesterday and died.
He was first rushed to the clinic of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation before he was taken to the National Assembly clinic where it was confirmed that he was dead.
The remains of Tijani Adeyemi were laid to rest at the Gudu cemetery in line with Islamic rites.
*Senate confirms NDDC board nominees
The Senate also yesterday confirmed the appointment of the nominees of President Bola Tinubu as Chairman, directors and members of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The red chamber scrutinised the credentials of the Committee of the Whole because the standing committees had yet to be inaugurated.
The nominees who were screened and confirmed are, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, Chairman, (Delta State); Dr. Samuel Ogbuku – Managing Director / CEO (Bayelsa); Mr. Boma Iyaye – Executive Director, Finance and Admin, (Rivers); Mr. Victor Antai, Executive Director, Projects (Akwa-Ibom) and Ifedayo Abegunde, Executive Director, Corporate Services (Ondo)
Others are, Sen. Dimaro Denyanbofa – State Representative ( Bayelsa); Mr. Abasi Ndikan Nkono, State Representative (Akwa Ibom); Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, State Representative (Delta); Chief Tony Okocha, State Representative (Rivers); Hon Patrick Aisowieren, State Representative (Edo); and Mr. Kyrian Uchegbu, State Representative (Imo).
The rest are, Hon Patrick Aisowieren, State Representative (Edo); Mr. Kyrian Uchegbu, State Representative (Imo); Otito Atikase, State Representative (Ondo); Chief Dimgba Eruba, State Representative (Abia); Rt. Hon. Orok Out Duke, State Representative (Cross River); Hon. Nick Wende – Zonal Representative, North Central; Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak, Zonal Representative, (North East); and Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir, Zonal Representative (North West).
Senate President told some of his colleagues who have some concerns against certain nominees that their complaints would be resolved by the executive arm of government.
