DSS Clears Ministerial Nominees Ahead Senate Screening

The Senate is poised to commence the screening of ministerial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu, scheduled for Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

This confirmation process follows a thorough clearance by the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to Vanguard, having been cleared, the nominees visited the office of Senator Basheer Lado, the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, to submit their curriculum vitae before the deadline.

Notable early submitters included the Ministers of Education, Trade and Investment, and Livestock.

In a statement released on Monday, Senator Lado confirmed that the nominees had begun submitting their required documents, marking the initial steps in a series of procedures leading up to their screening and confirmation by the Senate.

He emphasized the Senate’s commitment to adhering to Section 147 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended), which governs the screening and confirmation of ministerial appointments.

President Tinubu’s list of nominees, announced last Wednesday in Abuja and forwarded to the Senate, includes Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda for Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi for Minister of Labour and Employment, and Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu for Minister of State, Foreign Affairs. Other nominees are Dr. Jumoke Oduwole for Minister of Industry, Trade and Development, Idi Muktar Maiha for Minister of Livestock Development, Rt Hon Yusuf Abdullahi Ata for Minister of State, Housing, and Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad for Minister of State, Education.

The President’s letter, seeking an expeditious consideration of his nominations, was addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and read during last Thursday’s plenary session.

Senator Akpabio promptly referred the presidential request to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.