The Senate on Wednesday approved seven ministerial nominees sent by President Bola Tinubu. The nominees were screened and approved at a plenary session, following discussions at the committee level.

The new ministers and their portfolios include Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda (Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction), Muhammadu Dingyadi (Labour & Employment), Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs), Dr. Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Livestock Development), Yusuf Ata (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad (Minister of State, Education).

During the screening, senators quizzed the nominees regarding their plans for their respective ministries. Others are Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Livestock Development); Yusuf Ata (State, Housing and Urban Development); and Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad (Minister of State, Education). The nominees answered specific questions that the senators asked them regarding the fresh ideas and plans they have for their proposed ministries.

Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh, and Tony Nwoye commended President Tinubu for appointing Bianca, the wife of the late Igbo leader, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), as Minister. They said the development was an indication that Tinubu was committed to the government of National Unity.

Bianca, former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, confirmed the senators’ assertion and stressed that Nigeria would experience massive transformation if its citizens come together with a commitment to peace. She stated, “I am here because I believe that if we are able to come together sincerely to commit to serving this nation, focusing on ensuring that we have peace, then the sky’s the limit for this country.”

She noted that the combined efforts of cultural, governmental, and diplomatic organisations could drive transformative change. “There is hope for this country if we sincerely commit to unity and focus on peace; Nigeria’s potential is limitless.” She highlighted the importance of diplomatic and cultural engagement as key to national growth.

Odimegwu-Ojukwu told the senators her plans to ensure that Nigeria’s missions abroad receive a facelift and narrated how she transformed the country’s embassy in Madrid during her tenure as the ambassador. Mrs Ojukwu explained how she spent a year living in a hotel due to the poor state of the Nigerian embassy in Madrid. She gave a detailed narrative of how the embassy’s deteriorated condition did not align with Nigeria’s image abroad and how it motivated her to lead an extensive refurbishment project.

She said, “I would like to say that my past records speak for me. As an ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, I spent an entire year in one hotel room because when I got to Spain, the mission building was in such an appalling condition.” She recounted how the building’s state was so dismal it was embarrassing, especially given its location, very close to the upscale estate of Galagao, where people would pass by on their way to various events and matches.

“The Nigerian embassy in Madrid that you see today is the product of my time in that country,” she said, noting that her focus was to restore Nigeria’s image to one that “truly deserves a designation of outstanding.”

She lamented that Nigerian embassies abroad face funding challenges, which she promised to tackle as Minister. Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the Nigerian government to prioritise embassy maintenance under the current administration.

The minister-designate for the Ministry of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, assured Nigerians that the issue of farmers-herders clashes would be a thing of the past after developing the 417 grazing areas in the country. The new ministry intends to develop a database of all the infrastructures that are animal husbandry related. This is to say, all the grazing reserves in the country. Maiha also said he intends to provide necessary infrastructure and social amenities in all the 417 legally recognized grazing reserves across the country to discourage open grazing.

He said, “We also want to know all the cattle routes. We also want to know all the dams that are viable. From there, we will develop those grazing reserves that have no legal inconveniences. The ministry intends to work with other critical stakeholders to make sure that this vision is realised. We intend to encourage people by making those incentives across all those 417 grazing areas in the country to make sure that those areas are suitable and have sufficient grass and water to contain those animals.”

He sought the support and encouragement of the state governors, local government chairmen, and traditional rulers to make the programme succeed. He also pledged to embrace modern ways of rearing livestock and introduce the same to the country.

The Minister-Designate for the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, pledged to continue with the economic policy of the Tinubu administration, which focuses on investment, productivity, and job creation. She noted that key reforms in monetary and fiscal policy aimed at stabilising the economy have started to deliver some results.

She said, “Perhaps what we now need to deliver is the convergence of these two pillars of monetary and fiscal policy, with trade, investment, and industrial policies, to further drive growth. The three priority areas that I would work on to align with the existing and ongoing policies, if confirmed by this hallowed chamber, would be investment retention and attraction, boosting exports and foreign exchange earnings, and creating productive jobs through a vibrant domestic industry.

“Another area would be the support of free trade zones and special economic zones to enhance operational efficiency. They are very important for manufacturing investments to come into Nigeria and for promoting localised production. Nigeria has 55 licensed free trade zones currently contributing to the GDP, but there’s a lot more, and significant jobs can be produced by that.

“The second thing in the area of trade is to boost exports so that we can earn more foreign exchange. As we support MSMEs and larger enterprises to access markets, we will collaborate with stakeholders to increase exports, supporting them practically and tangibly.”

A general laughter enveloped the Senate chamber on Wednesday during the screening of the Kano ministerial nominee, Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata (Kano), when Senator Rufai Hanga (NNPP, Kano Central) said he is threatened by Ata’s appointment.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio, had asked Hanga to comment on the nominee, a former Speaker of the Kano State House Assembly; he said he was threatened by the nomination of a political juggernaut who is from his senatorial district.

“The appointment of this political juggernaut threatens me because we are from the same senatorial district. He is a grassroots politician who was my ally, but that said, I’m in support of his nomination,” Hanga, the Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, said.

But Akpabio, in his response, told Hanga that there was no cause for alarm, describing him as a nice person and team player.

“Despite the party differences, you are all united in supporting the nominee,” he said.

Earlier, Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) urged his colleagues to allow the nominee, Ata, to take a bow and go, given that he was a parliamentarian in Kano State—a former Speaker of the state house of assembly. Specifically, Kawu described the nominee as a grassroots politician who started politics from scratch and is deeply connected with the masses.

Contributing, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for nominating Ata as a minister.

“I commend Mr. President for nominating this gentleman for this post. Senator Kawu has said it all. He is a strong grassroots politician who started from scratch and got to the top, just as our President. We are always eager to sit with Mr. President because he is open.

“In fact, since the inception of democracy in this country in 1999, there has been no time since we have elected a president who started from scratch and has reached the top. Our President started from scratch to the top.

“That is why he knows all parts of the country. If you talk about Ebonyi State, he will tell you about its configuration. If you are talking about the State of Akwa Ibom, he is just like an encyclopaedia; he will tell the names of the major stakeholders there. That is why he has decided that this gentleman (Ata) should be a minister because he understands the configuration of Kano State.

“If you go to Kano, our people are praising Mr. President for bringing about inclusion. The nominee is a strategist. He is known for his political sagacity. He is known by all and sundry: the youth, the Ulama, the students, women, and the business community; everybody likes him because he interacts with them freely.

“Kano will now be taken back by the APC, Insha Allah. We had a vacuum, and he will now fill it. We are grateful to Mr. President in Kano. He recently gave us the North West Development Commission headquarters, NWDC. Kano is grateful to Mr. President. We shall continue to support your government, and we shall continue to help strengthen your desire for prosperity for this nation,” he said.