By Henry Umoru & Inalegwu Shaibu
ABUJA — Eight new ministerial nominees from President Goodluck Jonathan were, yesterday, formally unveiled in the Senate. The presentation of the new nominees came as the Senate also, yesterday, screened and confirmed eight of the nominees earlier sent to it as ministers-designate.

The Senate, nevertheless, turned down the re-nomination of the erstwhile Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Obadaiah Ando, following his unanimous rejection by the three Senators from his native Taraba State.

The eight presented yesterday for screening and confirmation were erstwhile Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple (Rivers), Nyesome Wike (Rivers); Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe (Plateau); Mr. Edem Duke (Cross River); Mrs Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia (Kaduna); Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed (Jigawa); Mrs Omobola Johnson Olubusola (Ondo) and Dr. Mohammed Pate, Bauchi.

Those screened and confirmed as ministers-designate yesterday were Alhaji Bukar Tijani, Borno; Arch. Mike Onolememen, Edo; Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, Kwara; Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, Ogun; Ms. Olajumoke Akinjide, Oyo; Dr. Yerima Ngama, Yobe; Amb Bashir Yuguda, Zamfara and Hajia Zainab Kuchi, Niger.

The nominee from Ogun State, Dr. Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina, failed to show up for the screening and no reason was given for his failure.

Dep  Senate Leader

Also yesterday, the peace overtures from the Senate leadership towards the North-East Senate caucus made a headway as Senator Abdul Ningi, one time leader of the House of Representatives was formally named as Deputy Senate Leader. The Northeast Senate caucus had rejected the offer upon mutterings of disaffection in the allocation of principal offices in the National Assembly.

Alhaji Bukar Tijani who was the first to be drilled by the Senate described Nigeria’s food crisis as artificial, just as he said Nigeria had failed to harness its rich agricultural potentials thereby creating the problem of food insecurity, adding that while Nigeria needs five million metric tones of rice per annum, it currently produces two million.”

Tijani who noted that one of the challenges of agricultural development in Nigeria was the fact that only the aged engage in farming, however, promised that the government would ensure that the youths were brought on  board to engage in agriculture.

“We want to see that the private sector is in the lead while government will look at how best he can facilitate.”

One of the ways is by providing funding, so that young people, women are organized into groups so that they can enhance their capacity to allow them go into venture or enterprise of their choice.”

Tasked on the problems of roads maintenance and the increasing episodes of building collapse, Arch. Onolememen from Edo blamed the lack of enforcement of the building code and the use of substandard materials by builders in the country because of lax regulations.

He suggested awareness campaign to enlighten the public on the need to embrace locally made materials, adding that while Nigeria needs an average of one million houses per annum to tackle the problems of housing, he said that the FHA could only build 43000 housing units in its over 43 years of existence.

Onolememen a former Minister of State, defence also expressed concern on the illegal importation of arms.

The Kwara State nominee Abdullahi, a former journalist canvassed improved salary structure for journalists in both public and private sectors considering what he described as the hazardous, nature of the job and the need for sanity to be brought on board.

He said “there should be mechanism for determining minimum wage for certain sectors. Certain sectors carry certain hazards and such should be put into consideration. I will support enhanced remuneration of journalists in the public and private sectors. Poor salary of journalists should not be excused for unethical behaviours.”

Ms. Olajumoke Akinjide, one of the two female nominees for the day was asked to take a bow and go considering her enormous qualifications while the other female nominee, Kuchi from Niger answered one question before she was asked to go.

Ambassador Ashiru from Ogun State on his part during his own confirmation hearing called for an all Nigeria Conference to review Nigeria’s foreign policy which he said is obsolete.

Ashiru, a veteran of the Nigerian diplomatic service was pivotal to many of the country’s diplomatic ventures in Europe, America and the Far East.

He was also a key figure in the arrangement of the visits of two American Presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush to Nigeria and was also a strategic facilitator in Nigeria’s successful hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGOM) in December 2003.

Ambassador Ashiru was also a key participant in the re-definition of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy direction during the Olusegun Obasanjo civilian administration. He also actively participated as adviser and delegate to all the yearly United Nations General Assembly sessions in New York and Human Rights sessions in Geneva since 2002.

Filename Nominees July 7, 2011