By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate yesterday confirmed the appointment of 45 ministerial nominees sent to it by President Bola Tinubu for screening and confirmation.

The red chamber screened all the nominees whose names were sent in three batches for six legislative days.

 

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Three nominees including a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai; the Executive Director, of Business Development of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank from Delta State, Stella Okotete; and a former governor of Taraba State, Senator Abubakar Danladi, were dropped.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, explained that the three nominees who were not confirmed had to undergo security screening from relevant security agencies.

Those who were screened are, Senator Abubakar Kyari (Borno State); Abubakar  Momoh (Edo); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Prof. Joseph Utsev (Benue); Senator John Enoh ( Cross River);  Bello Muhammad (Sokoto); Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa); Yusuf Tuggar, (Bauchi); and Uju-Ken Ohaneye (Anambra).

Others are, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo); Dr Betta Edu (Cross River); Imaan Sulaiman (Nasarawa); Ahmed Dangiwa  (Katsina), Chief Uche Nnaji (Enugu); Abdullahi Gwarzo (Kano); Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).

They also included Tunji Alausa (Lagos) Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun); Uba Maigari Ahmadu (Taraba); Lola John (Lagos); Dr Isiak Salako (Ogun); Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa); Dr Yusuf Sununu (Kebbi); Prof Tahir Mamman (Adamawa).

Also confirmed are, Zephaniah Jisalo (FCT); Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe); Dr Bosun Tijani (Ogun); Shuaibu Abubakar (Kogi); Senator Sabi Abdullahi (Niger); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) Senator Alkali Ahmed (Gombe); Dr Mariya Mahmoud (Kano); and Festus Keyamo (Delta).

The rest are, Hannatu Musawa (Katsina); Dr Doris Aniche Uzoka (Imo) David Umahi (Ebonyi); Ekperipe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom); Nkiru Onyeojiocha (Abia); Dele Alake (Ekiti); Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara), Muhammad Idris (Niger);  Olawale Edun (Ogun); Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo); Prof.Ali Pate (Bauchi).

 

*Keyamo’s past comments throw Senate into a rowdy session

Earlier yesterday during the screening exercise, there was an uproar in the Senate when the red chamber temporarily halted the screening of the Delta State ministerial nominee, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN).

He was accused of making disparaging, comments on the 9th Senate and also queried his attitudes towards the National Assembly members

Keyamo was Minister of State for Employment, Labour, and Productivity during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

He appeared before the Senate for screening as the 48th nominee of President Bola Tinubu’s proposed cabinet.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria had mounted the rostrum after the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, introduced him as an illustrious son of the Niger Delta region.

Kayamo started by explaining how he had spent his over 30 years at the bar to advance the course of democracy, rule of and human rights.

He reeled out his educational qualifications and other official responsibilities he had undertaken at different levels of government.

He then told the federal lawmakers that he was surprised that he would still be considered for ministerial appointment having prepared his luggage to proceed for a vacation abroad when he received information of his nomination.

Keyamo said, “To my three senators from Delta State who are very personal friends to me for so many years. My name is Festus Adeniyi Keyamo. Paternally I’m from Delta State, and maternally I’m from Ilaro, in the Yewa South Local Government Area, Ogun State, I’m a constituent of Solomon Olamilekan Adeola who is my senator from Ogun West.

“I also see many senators here who are my mentors and political leaders who are personal friends and comrades over the years.

“My appearance here today can only be by the grace of God and by the Special benevolence of President Bola Tinubu and I wish to say a special thank you to him for giving me this special opportunity to serve.

“On Friday (last week) when my name was announced on this floor, I’ve already packed my bag and baggage. I was traveling with my family when all of a sudden I was told that my name had been announced. I was in Lagos and I started rushing back to Abuja and we have to cancel all our trips to go on vacation.

“Over the years, I have used the instrumentality of the law to advance the course of democracy and the respect for the rule of law.

“My struggle battle for the respect for the rule of law also led me at some point to fight for the right of the Senate and I am sure, you all know that.

“Over the years, I felt that because we have left military rule, it is important to subject ourselves to this democratic disposition.

“I looked at the provisions of the constitution and I felt that the military has to bow to the Senate, it has to subject itself to the authorities of the Senate.

“On my own, I wrote a letter to the Senate President then, Senator David Mark, and the executive arm of government through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

“I insisted that the Military must come to the Senate for confirmation before they assume duties after their appointments by the President as service chiefs. I went to court on my own volition and I won the case for this Senate.

“The entire register and the account details are available including their BVN. The Senate has the right to cross-check my claims.”

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*Senator queries Keyamo’s N52bn

His intimidating credentials and fluency of delivery seemed not to have impressed the Deputy Minority Leader, who is the Labour Party Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha.

Nwokocha said, “I am aware that this National Assembly and this arm, the Senate, has three main mandates, one, law-making, oversight, and representation.

“I know that what we are doing today is a continuation of what we did yesterday and I am happy to have the nominee here present and here it is a wonderful thing that he used the instrumentality of law which he is part and parcel of to advance the course of Justice.

“I know as well that this House or Senate usually used the instrumentality of legislature to advance the course of fairness. I want to bring to your notice because I have been a two-term member of the House of Assembly, two time Representatives member and today I am a senator

“I was in the 8th Assembly in the House of Representatives and the 9th Assembly and today. I want to bring to the notice of this House an issue that came up in 2020 and that issue was the public works programme which we all welcomed with open hands because it is something that will help our people.

“Today we are talking about paying N8,000 to people to alleviate poverty. Then it was the amount of N20,000 to 1000 persons in each of the 774 local government areas of Nigeria which my local government is part of.

“It must have a great multiplier effect that would have led our people out of poverty. What happened?

“At a point, we thought it was our responsibility because if some people can use the instrumentality of law which they found themselves within their confines to advance for all their Justices cannot we use the instrumentality of the legislature to support our people and the populace which we represent.

“At that point is a subject of controversy and public debate we wanted to know and possibly give him a fair hearing about what happened to our constituents so we invited him to come and tell us, what the structure is.

“What are the indices for carrying out this because our people are on our necks? When he was invited, what we are talking about is N52bn appropriated by the National Assembly and the right of appropriation resides in the legislature.

“That is our right, the right of oversight resides with us, whatever thing we are appropriating it is our right and when he was invited he expressly told the public that we want to highjack his role, he blackmailed us that we are corrupt, and that we wanted to highjack his role.

“I know that he midwife the process nobody is against that and it fell within his area of operation junior Minister for Labour and Employment.

“Not only that when he was asked which indices, he went to the public to say that ‘they are not from the moon’ because we were talking about what will help our people anything outside that I will walk out from the chamber

“The interest of everybody is our people and we are here not whatever any person is saying and today, we need to find out. Nobody is stopping him from being cleared.

“The President has sent in so many people, great people here who passed through the screening, wonderful people that are ready to work in the system not on the grounds of putting something under the table, not granting people a fair hearing.

“He has been running away from it. This thing has been the subject of debate, what happened to the N52bn? He is here and it was our responsibility to find out.

“I think so strongly that he has to tell us what happened but not here, we have to step it down a little bit then we can reconvene, because we would not like what happened at the last administration when some people thought that the President was in charge and so many things were happening down there.

“We would not take it this time around, we want a situation we tackle it from the onset since the President should not follow that line,” he submitted.

 

*Senators divided over a motion to step down his screening

The President of the Senate put the motion to vote and the response divided the senators which led to a serious shouting match in the chamber.

The Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, then moved the motion that the Senate to discuss the matter behind closed doors

The Sergeant-at-arms led Keyamo out of the chamber to enable the lawmakers to determine his fate at the close session.

The closed session lasted about three hours and on resumption, Keyamo pleaded with the lawmakers to forgive him for his wrongdoing towards the National Assembly in the past.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour and Productivity in the 9th Senate, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, pleaded with his colleagues to forgive Keyamo and let him take a bow.

The Senate President put the question and the senators unanimously agreed that Keyamo should be allowed to take a bow and go.