Senate Approve 18 Buhari's Ministerial Nominees

Nigeria’s Eighth Senate

Nigeria's Senate has approved the first batch of nominees sent by President Muhammadu Buhari for screening to join his cabinet. The upper house approved 18 names, including the head of the state oil firm NNPC, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, and former Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola. The lawmakers still need to vet a second list of candidates.

Ngige, Fashola, Lai, Kachikwu, Fayemi, 13 Others Scale Through Screening

TheCable report that the Nigerian senate has confirmed as ministers, all of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees who have been screened. The upper chamber screened 10 candidates on Tuesday; and 10 were penciled for screening on Wednesday as well.

However, at 5pm on Wednesday and with eight candidates screened, the senate resolved to halt the process and continue on Thursday.

The two outstanding nominees are Adebayo Shittu (Oyo state) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers state).

Senate President Bukola Saraki thereafter proceeded to reading the names of all 18 candidates screened so far, and asking his colleagues to confirm by saying “aye” or rejecting by saying “nay”.

One by one he went through the process for the candidates and the ayes had their way in each case.

The nominees now confirmed to be ministers are:

1. Udoma Udo Udoma

2. Kayode Fayemi

3. Audu Ogbe

4. Ogbonnaya Onu

5. Osagie Ehanire

6. Abdulrahman Dambazau

7. Lai Mohammed

8. Amina Mohammed

9. Suleiman Adamu

10. Ibrahim Jibril

11. Babatunde Fashola

12. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu

13. Abubakar Malami

14. Chris Ngige

15. Aisha Alhassan

16. Solomon Dalong

17. Kemi Adeosun

18. Hadi Sirika