…Tinubu withdraws Maryam Shetty, replaces her with Mariya Mahmoud Mairiga 

…Forwards Festus Keyamo from Delta as a Ministerial Nominee as Nominees now rise to 48

…Shetty in Senate for Screening, got the news of her replacement at the National  Assembly 

…As Senate Screens  Oyetola, Alausa, Geidam, Sabi Abdullahi, Lokpobiri,  Ahmed Said,  Lalong, Bagudu, Bello Matawalle, 4 others 

…As Oyetola, Geidam, Sabi Abdullahi, Lokpobiri, Alkali Said, Bagudu, Matawalle, Sununu, Jisalo take a bow and Go

..To screen Bosun  Tijani,  Isiak  Salako, Lola Ade-John, Tahir  Mamman,  Uba Ahmadu,  Dr. Mariya  Mahmoud Festus  Keyamo today

…As Senate defends its take and bow privilege 

…How I lost my first grandchild to medical negligence — Akpabio 

…There should be massive infrastructural development in the health sector, Nominee, Tunji Alausa 

…Says NAFDAC has failed in its Responsibility 

By Henry Umoru 

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has removed Dr. Maryam Shetty from Kano State as a Ministerial nominee that was billed for screening Friday.

In a letter to the Senate and read by the President  of the Senate,  Godswill  Akpabio Friday,  the President  replaced her with Mariya Mahmoud Mairiga Bunkure, a  former Commissioner for higher education Kano state during the tenure of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The President also yesterday forwarded to the Senate for screening, the immediate  past Minister of Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, SAN from Delta  State. 

Recall that President  Tinubu  had on Wednesday  forwarded  the name of Maryam Shetty  along side eighteen  other nominees to the Senate for screening  and subsequent confirmation. 

Maryam Shetty whose name was number 12 in the Order  Paper  was yesterday  present  at the National  Assembly,  waiting for her screening, only for her to get the message of her replacement  at the National  Assembly.

With Festus  Keyamo as a nominee, the number has now swelled  to forty eight.

The  Senate Friday entered the fourth  day of the  screening  of the ministerial nominees  forwarded to it  by the President, just as it commenced the exercise  at 12.32 with the immediate  past Governor  of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, just as the screening  ended  at 6.52pm.

President Tinubu had earlier sent a list of 28 ministerial nominees followed by a supplementary list of 19 nominees last Wednesday  to the Senate  for screening.

According to the Order Paper of Friday, the Senators will now begin with the screening  of Ministerial  Nominees, just as the Order Paper  has nineteen,  with Keyamo  as an additional  nominee, making it twenty names.  

For Friday’s screening,  five were former Governors,  former Senators, ex- members  of the House of Representatives were given the parliamentary privilege to take a bow and go.

The exercise  was in consonance with remarks by the senate  Leader,  Senator  Opeyemi  Bamidele,  APC, Ekiti Central  who said that “The the Senate do consider the request of Mr. President, Commander – in – Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the confirmation of the following nominees for appointments as Ministers of the Government of the Federation in accordance with Section 147 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) – (Committee of Whole) (4th Allotted day).”

The Screening  commenced with the immediate past Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola. 

Of the twenty nominees  listed for screening yesterday,  those who were asked to take a bow and go were Adegboyega Oyetola, Ibrahim Geidam, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, Senator  Heineken Lokpobiri, Senator  Alkali Ahmed Said, Senator Atiku Bagudu, Bello Matawalle, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, and Honourable Zephaniah Jisalo were asked to take a bow and  go. 

Also screened  yesterday  were Tunji Alausa, Lagos; Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe; Senator  Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Niger; Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Bayelsa; Senator Alkali Ahmed Said, Gombe; Simon Bako Lalong, Plateau; Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi  Bello Matawalle , Zamfara and Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Kebbi.

Also screened  was the first original inhabitant  of the Federal  Capital Territory,  FCT as a Ministerial  Nominee, Honourable Zephaniah Jisalo, just as the immediate  past  Senate Minority  Leader,  Senator  Philip  Aduda led other Stakeholders  from the FCT on a solidarity  support for Jisalo as the first Minister  to be appointed from the FCT. 

Also screened was the son of late former Governor  of Kogi State,  Prince Abubakar Audu, Prince Shuaibu  Abubakar Audu. The Kogi State  Governor,  Yahaya  Bello led other  Stakeholders from the state to the National  Assembly  who were at the hallowed chamber to support the nominee.

Ahmed  Tijani Gwarzo  from Kano was the last to be screened at 6.52pm.

Those remaining to be screened  today are Bosun  Tijani  from Ogun  State; Dr. Isiak  Salako,  Ogun, Lola Ade-John  Prof. Tahir  Mamman,  Adamawa; Uba Maigari  Ahmadu,  Taraba; Dr. Mariya  Mahmoud Mairiga, Kano and Festus  Keyamo,  Delta  State. 

Meanwhile,  the Senate  has defended  the “bow-and-go” privilege accorded members of parliament who appear before the Senate for confirmation of appointments.

Speaking on the matter, the Senate  Majority  leader,  Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti  Central said that since the Upper Chamber know the antecedents and capacity of parliamentarians who are nominated as ministers, it would be a sheer waste of time to subject them to thorough grilling.

Bamidele  who noted that  this practice of ‘bow and go’ privilege extended to legislators is a global practice, not limited to Nigerian parliament, said, “It’s a sheer waste of time to subject parliamentarians to thorough grilling during ministerial screening because we know them, their records, antecedents and capacity. It’s a global best practices. It is important members of the public know this.”

Responding to questions,  the  Lagos nominee , Dr Tunji Alausa stressed the need for both the government at all levels and the private sector to partner in providing massive infrastructural development in the sector. 

He noted that the only way to stop brain drain in the health sector popularly called “Japa” is to provide enabling environment to health practitioners. He said that everything is not about money but when there’s adequate infrastructures and enabling empowerment, no health provider would wish to leave his country because they are trained to take care of humanity.

Also talking about negligence of medical practitioners in the course of their duties, he lamented that unlike what was obtainable in abroad, National Health Council was no longer functioning, just as he said that the National  Agency for Food and Drug Administration  and Control, NAFDAC has failed in its responsibility.

According to him ” It is the responsibility of medical board to take up any case of negligence on the part of health workers but regrettably it is no longer working that is why cases of negligence are not been addressed.”

How I lost my first grandchild to medical negligence — Akpabio 

In his remarks, the President  of the Senate, Senator  Godswill Akpabio narrated how he lost his first grandchild to medical negligence at a federal hospital in 2019.

Akpabio  who shared his experience while speaking during the screening of the ministerial nominee from Lagos State, Dr Tunji Alausa,  said, “Just like every other person here, I have been a victim of medical neglect. I lost my first grandchild in 2019, in a federal medical centre. He died through bleeding.

“He was placed on a drip that ran into the night. There was no help, no doctor, no nurse and he bled until he lost over 60 per cent of his blood.”

The President of the Senate who  noted that the boy eventually went into a coma and efforts to revive him with a defibrillator were unsuccessful because the hospital had not used it (the defibrillator) for years, said, “They went to go and bring a defibrillator to attempt to revive the heart, but it did not work. I said for how long, they said it stopped working eight years ago.

“I used my hand and struggled with my physician, I could not revive him. I had to close his eyes and put him in the mortuary, and then I proceeded to Port Harcourt for our party’s rally.”

Updating President Tinubu’s Ministerial  Nominees per zone, South-South has 8, with Ekperikpe Ekpo – Akwa Ibom; Sen. Heineken Lolokpobri – Bayelsa; Betta Edu – Cross River; John Enoh – Cross River; Stella Okotete – Delta; Abubakar Momoh – Edo; Nyesom Wike – Rivers and Festus  Keyamo- Delta.

South-West has nine, Dele Alake – Ekiti; Tunji Alausa – Lagos; Lola Ade John – Lagos; Olawale Edun – Ogun;Dr.Ishak Salako – Ogun; Dr. Bosun Tijjani – Ogun; Olubunmi Tunji Ojo – Ondo; Adegboyega Oyetola – Osuo  .   ,, and Waheed Adebayo Adelabu – Oyo.

For South East,  there are five  nominees, with each State having a nominee and they are Uche Nnaji – Enugu; Doris; Aniche Uzoka – Imo; David Umahi – Ebonyi; Nkeiruka Onyejocha – Abia and Uju Kennedy Ohaneye – Anambra. 

North-East has 8 and they are Prof. Tahir Mamman – Adamawa; Yusuf Maitama Tuggar – Bauchi; Ali Pate –Bauchi; Abubakar Kyari – Borno  Sen. Alkali Ahmed Saidu – Gombe; Sani Abubakar Danladi – Taraba; Uba Maigari Ahmadu – Taraba and Sen. Ibrahim Geidam – Yobe. 

North-West has 10 and they are Badaru Abubakar – Jigawa; Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai – Kaduna  Dr. Mariya Mahmoud  Mairiga- Kano; Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo – Kano; Ahmed Dangiwa – Katsina; Hannatu Musawa – Katsina; Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu – Kebbi; Atiku Bagudu – Kebbi; Bello Muhammad Goronyo – Sokoto and  Bello Matawalle – Zamfara. 

North-Central has 8 and they are Prof. Joseph Utsev – Benue; Shuaibu Abubakar Audu – Kogi; Lateef Fagbemi – Kwara; Iman Suleiman Ibrahim – Nasarawa; Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi – Niger; Muhammad Idris – Niger;  Simon Along – Plateau and Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo – FCT.