The Senate, on Wednesday, screened and confirmed the appointment of the seven ministerial nominees sent to it by President Bola Tinubu last week Thursday.
The screening of the nominees and their approval was done at the committee of the whole while their appointments were confirmed at plenary.
The ministers-designate and their ministries were Dr Nentawe Yilwatda (Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction); Muhammadu Dingyadi (Labour & Employment); Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Minister of State Foreign Affairs), and Dr Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade and Investment).
Others were 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 which the senators asked them regarding the fresh ideas and plans they had for their proposed ministries.
Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh and Tony Nwoye, however, commended President Tinubu for appointing Bianca, wife of the late Igbo leader, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, and chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as minister.
They said the development was an indication that Tinubu was committed to forming a Government of National Unity.
Bianca, former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, confirmed the South East senators assertion and emphasised that Nigeria would experience massive transformation if its citizens come together with a commitment to peace.
“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 is 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.”
The Ministers-designate for the Ministry of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, assured Nigerians that the issue of farmers-herders clash would be a thing of the past after developing the 417 grazing areas in the country.
The new ministry, he said, would develop a database of all the infrastructure that are animal husbandry related, meaning all the grazing reserves in the country.
“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 intend to work with other critical stakeholders to make sure that this vision is realised,” he said.
The Minister-Designate for 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 the, key reforms in monetary and fiscal policy aimed at stabilising the economy have started to deliver some results.
“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,” she said.
Sunday Aborisade
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