Sen. Abdullahi Gumel, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), has conveyed the confirmed list of 45 ministerial nominees to the Presidency, as revealed during his briefing with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Senate, on Monday, had endorsed the appointments of 45 ministerial nominees while deferring the confirmation of three others, including Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, Sen. Abubakar Danladi, and Stella Okete.
Sen. Gumel stated that the trio’s confirmation had been postponed due to pending security clearance. He articulated, “We transmitted the confirmed list yesterday (Monday) by about 11:30 p.m. to the Chief of Staff to the President. The list is now with the Executive, which means that the ministerial nominees were cleared by the Senate and confirmed.”
Sen. Gumel expressed gratitude towards the senators for their commitment and patriotism, as they forfeited their recess to conclude the screening and endorsement of the nominees. He noted, “The interesting thing about what happened in the Senate is that, there wasn’t opposition. The passion and commitment they showed to the work is commendable. I’m very grateful to the 10th Senate for making our jobs, those of us who represent the executive, very easy and very interesting. So confirming the portfolios of the ministerial nominees, that one is Presidential grace.”
Explaining the reason for the increase in the number of nominees from the usual 42 to 48, Sen. Gumel stated, “Our President sent 48 so we felt that would happen is that some of the ministries which are so big are to be merged together or separated for easy oversight by the Senate, like the Ministry of Works and Housing, which we felt should be separated. This is so that they can accommodate the number of ministers. The President will give them portfolios so that the government can get going. It is the prerogative of the President.”
Furthermore, Sen. Gumel highlighted the diverse backgrounds of the nominees, including representation from the private sector, technocrats, politicians, governors, serving and non-serving senators, members of the House of Representatives, Nigerian women, and youths. He stated that these nominees would play a pivotal role in actualizing the “Renewed Hope” mantra, as Nigerians eagerly anticipate the commencement of the President’s governance initiatives.
