Senate clears nominees, okays 20 aides for President
Fuel subsidy removal not now, says Alison-Madueke
Health needs N4.1trillion, Onyebuchi asserts
FOR several hours yesterday, the Senate grilled seven of the 34-ministerial nominees on their programmes for Nigeria if they became members of the federal cabinet.
Apparently satisfied with their responses, the Upper House cleared all the ministers-designate.
Those who scaled the Senate hurdle are mainly former ministers Emeka Wogu (Abia), Senator Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke (Bayelsa), Godsday Orubebe (Delta), Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi), Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (Ekiti) and Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i (Jigawa).
President Goodluck Jonathan had on Tuesday sent the ministers' list to the Senate for confirmation.
The Senate President David Mark wished the confirmed "ministers" well in their endeavours.
As early as 8.00 a.m. yesterday, some of the nominees had arrived at the National Assembly for the session to begin. Some of them were accompanied by their spouses. They were led by Senator Joy Emodi, who was later introduced by the Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters.
When the screening began at about 12.25 p.m., Wogu, the former Minister of Labour and Productivity, was the first to face the senators, who had resolved to end the culture of "bow and go" accorded some nominees in the past.
Wogu stood for almost two hours fielding questions on all fields of administration, including the two ministries - Labour and Productivity and Interior - where he had held sway. He was asked about his achievements and he responded intelligently maintaining a calculated mien.
One nominee who attracted more attention from the lawmakers and the media was Alison-Madueke.
Apparently aware that majority of the senators were waiting for Alison-Madueke, Mark decided to keep them in suspense and when she finally entered the chamber, the place erupted in jeers and banters. This may have been informed by the controversy that trailed her nomination due mainly to her last decisions and actions before her exit from office.
Contrary to the predictions of some people, she remained calm all through the screening and at intervals responded with smile, which may have disarmed some senators, who had prepared to ask questions. Of course, the allegations levelled against her in the media were raised but beaming with smile, she told the lawmakers that they were the handiwork of those, who were not comfortable with the reforms she introduced in the oil industry.
When her time ended, the senators looked impressed as a loud ovation trailed her exit.
If she retained her former petroleum resources portfolio, Alison-Madueke's declaration that the removal of fuel subsidy will not be instant, may bring relief to most Nigerians and a pain for some state governors. The state chief executives at their last meeting in Abuja had tied their implementation of the new N18,000 minimum wage to the Federal Government's withdrawal of fuel subsidy and upward review of the revenue allocation in favour of the states so that they can have more money to pay their workers.
Alison-Madueke told the Upper House that the removal of subsidy from products would wait until all the key stakeholders take a common position on it.
Explaining some hitches experienced in the supply of petroleum products in the country, she disclosed that the previous Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) was by firms, which had no knowledge of the nation's refineries.
She also spoke on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), noting that the ministry does not have control over it and there is little it can do.
For the immediate past minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed, the chamber was tempted to ask him to go but they suddenly remembered that they had agreed to "grill" all the nominees. He was asked questions about his stewardship and he responded that he met abandoned projects and decided to pick all of them up, undertook some electricity projects and gave the FCT a face lift to make it what it is today. He pledged to increase the tempo of the development if he returned to the office.
On his part, the immediate past Health Minister, Chukwu, told the Senate that under his stewardship, he raised the bar of health system in the country. One of the areas, he noted, was the proposal for a new health, which would cost N4.1 trillion.
He said the health system in the country would be clearly defined so that the Federal Government could concentrate on the tertiary health institutions, states on secondary and local councils on primary institutions.
Earlier, the senators had approved the request of the President to appoint 20 special advisers.
Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has denied his alleged nomination of a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Jonathan for inclusion in his cabinet.
Mimiko purportedly nominated one Mrs. Omobola Johnson to represent Ondo in the federal cabinet.
But yesterday in Akure, the governor said the woman in question was unknown to him and that he should be left out of purely PDP issues.
In a statement issued from the Governor's Office, Mimiko said, "I want to place it on records for the umpteenth time that I am a member of the Labour Party (LP) and that I have not and would not go to the PDP; so it would be tantamount to a disservice, and pure mischief for anybody to say that I would be nominating a supposedly PDP member for consideration as an aide to a PDP-led government."
In a protest letter written to the President on the matter, Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the PDP in the state, Prof. Olu Agbi, said: "What the PDP needs in this state is a committed member as a minister who will provide the required leadership for us to resuscitate the party."
Although he described the nominee, who is said to be a daughter of Chief Bayo Akinola and married to the son of the former Lagos State Military Governor, Mobolaji Johnson, as "very cerebral and academically and morally qualified," Agbi said "by marriage and residency, she is a Lagos person and could only represent Lagos State."
Ahead of his appearance before the Senate for screening today, the Edo State chapter has clarified the relationship between ministerial nominee, Mr. Mike Onolememen and the former chairman of the party's Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih.
In a statement, the party's state Director of Publicity and Strategy, Okharedia Ihimekpen, said contrary to the claims of some aggrieved politicians, Onolememen is not a first cousin of Anenih.
He said the nominee is from Ivue-Uromi while Anenih hails from Arue-Uromi, adding that they have no blood relationship.
The controversy trailing the choice of Abba Moro, an Idoma and Dr. Samuel Ortom, a Tiv as ministers is yet to be over. A Tiv group, the Ayatutu Patriots, has faulted their selection to represent Benue State in the new cabinet.
In a statement signed by its National President, Ukpete Soon and National Secretary, Donald Torakwer and three others released in Makurdi, the group claimed that it had information that the President plans to make the Tiv nominee a minister for state.
It said: "Only recently a total of 13 officers were recruited into the Federal Road Safety Commission from Benue State, of which only three were Tiv. We are also aware of attempts not to appoint a Tiv man as senior minister. We reject this in totality.
"In view of the above, we wish to unequivocally make the following demands: That President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan should ensure a Tiv person is made substantive minister."
The Guardian