Senate Confirms Gusau, Obanikoro, 9 Others As Ministers

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THE Senate, yesterday, confirmed former National Security Adviser, Gen. Mohammed Aliyu Gusau, former Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Musiliu Obanikoro and former governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Boni Haruna, from Zamfara, Lagos and Adamawa states as ministers.

Former Nigerian Ambassador to China, Aminu Wali, former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mohammed Wakil, Mrs. Akon Etim Eyakenyi and Mrs. Lawrencia Labaran Mallam, representing Kano, Borno, Akwa Ibom and Kaduna states were also confirmed.

Others were Dr. Khaliru  Alhassan from Sokoto, Alhaji Abduljelili Adesiyan from Osun, Dr. T.W. Danagogo from Rivers and Mrs. Asabe Asmau Ahmed from Niger states.

However, the Senate deferred the confirmation of Hajia Jamilila Salik, one of the nominees from Kano State.

No reason was given for the action, even as the nominee did not appear with others for screening throughout the three days the exercise lasted.

Vanguard gathered that Hajia Salik was dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan and is likely to be replaced by the former Kano State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, who recently defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Before the confirmation of the nominee, there was a spirited attempt by Senator Olusola Adeyeye, APC, Osun Central, to scuttle the chances of his state’s representative, Abduljelili Adesiyan.

Senator Adeyeye raised a point of order under order 14 of the Senate Standing Rule, on behalf of himself and two other senators from the state, to stop the final confirmation of the nomination of Adesiyan as a minister from the state on the grounds of alleged link to the assassination of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the late Chief Bola Ige, in December 2003.

He also pointed to the Senate custom of not confirming nomination of any nominee that does not have the support of any of the senators from his/her state.

He said in spite of the judicial acquittal of the nominee, the death of the late Ige was still hanging around the neck of Adesiyan and few others which made his nomination as minister very difficult to accept, more so when there were many other people in the state that could be nominated for such sensitive position by the President.