Senate will Screen Buhari’s Ministerial Nominees Next Wednesday, Says Lawan

•Passes public private partnership regulatory commission bill, one other

•President seeks red chamber’s nod for new RMFAC boss

Sunday Aborisade

President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan has said the upper chamber would next Wednesday screen the seven ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation.

Lawan stated this in an announcement yesterday, moments before the Senate adjourned plenary.

“The ministerial nominees will be screened on Wednesday, next week,” he said.

Buhari had in a letter dated June 15, 2022, requested the Senate to confirm the nomination of seven ministerial nominees.

He said the confirmation request was made in accordance with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

The nominees for confirmation included: Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh – Abia State; Umana Okon Umana – Akwa Ibom State; Ekumankama Joseph Nkama- Ebonyi State; and Goodluck Nanah Opiah – Imo State.

Others are Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub – Kano State; Ademola Adewole Adegoroye – Ondo State; and Odum Udi – Rivers State.

The nominees would be screened individually by the upper chamber during plenary.

Also yesterday, Buhari appointed Alhaji Mohammed Bello Shehu, as the Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, and has asked the Senate to screen and confirm his nomination.

This was a contained in a letter from Buhari read at plenary by the Senate President.

Senate Passes Public Private Partnership Regulatory Commission Bill, One Other

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday passed the Public Private Partnership Regulatory Commission Bill, 2022.

Also passed was the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022.

The passage of both bills was sequel to the consideration of two separate reports by the Committees on Works; and Establishment and Public Service.

Senator Emmanuel Yisa Orker-Jev (PDP, Benue North-West), in a presentation delivered on behalf of the Chairman, Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano Central), who was absent during plenary, said the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022, seeks to provide the requisite legal and institutional framework for the Institute. 

He said upon its passage and assent into law, the bill would provide the necessary legal regime for the effective specialisation, standardisation and professionalism of the field of engineering in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the report on the Public Private Partnership Regulatory Commission Bill, 2022, was presented by Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central).

Aliero, in his presentation, said the bill seeks to strengthen and enhance the supervisory role of the Commission and effectively position it in regulating the participation of the public and private sectors.

The Commission’s scope, he added, would include the financing of construction, development, designing, operation or maintenance of infrastructure, service or development projects of the federal government through public private partnership arrangements.

Lawan, in his remarks on the Public Private Partnership Bill said, “We have so much Infrastructural deficit and yet we have very little resources to deal with our deficit.

“It is important that we diversify our sources of funding of our infrastructural development.

“This piece of legislation, will turnaround in a way, our approach to the development of our infrastructure in Nigeria.”

Both bills were passed by the Senate after a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole.