February 22, 2025
Lawan

Former state governors, Babatunde Fashola and Rauf Aregbesola, were two of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees screened by the Nigerian Senate on Monday, July 29, 2019.

President Buhari sent a list of 43 nominees to the Senate last Tuesday, and dozens of them have been screened since the exercise commenced on Wednesday, July 24, 2019.

When he made an appearance before the Senate on Monday, the fourth day of the screening exercise, Fashola reeled out a list of his achievement as the Minister of Power, Works and Housing during Buhari’s first term.

The former Lagos governor went on to express frustration with Nigeria’s capacity to fund important projects in the country.

He said, “It is common knowledge that no ministry has received all of the resources for its budget.

“So, yes, we gladly announce that the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has N500 billion budget, but we seldom get more than N250 billion, N280 billion at peak.

“So, Nigeria is not yet the rich nation that I know it’ll be. It isn’t yet.” Explaining further, Fashola said it’s impossible to change the state of the nation’s infrastructure in just four years, saying more time is needed.

He also expressed displeasure with Nigeria’s public procurement process which he said excludes some of the most vulnerable Nigerians.

“They can’t benefit because the conditions are too onerous. They have to bring all sorts of documents which they never had. The cost of getting those documents becomes something that makes them unable to benefit,” he said.

He declared that the Act is holding the country back and urged lawmakers to rise to the challenge and review the issue “as a matter of expedition”.

During his screening, Aregbesola vowed to pioneer a system of heavy taxation on wealthy Nigerians when he’s inaugurated as minister.

The former Osun governor said Nigeria has neglected to compel rich people to discharge their responsibilities to the nation, and promised to advocate a just taxation system that’ll bridge inequality.

“I’m going to pioneer privileged taxes for those who have huge resources or wealth from which Nigerians must tap.

“I’ll recommend serious taxation for wealthy people in Nigeria,” he said. Suleiman Adamu told senators how, as the Minister of Water Resources during Buhari’s first term, he championed an action plan to make Nigeria open defecation free by 2025.

“Before I left office, we were already working on a new launch of a new drive following the Indian example to make sure Nigeria is open defecation free by 2025.”

The former minister also revealed that the ministry, under his stewardship, deliberately avoided new projects because he inherited 116 ongoing and abandoned projects, some as old as 1992.

He said, “We decided to prioritise those projects, abandoned those not viable and pursued the most serious projects.

“I’m happy to say that in three and a half years, we were able to complete 17 of these projects.

“We commissioned 12; and between this year and 2020, we hope to complete another 19.”

He promised to continue to place priority on abandoned projects. Adamu also said that despite the fact that water has been declared as a fundamental right of every human being, it is also an economic commodity that must be paid for.

“The cost of providing that water is significant, and people should be able to pay for it,” he said.

Goddy Agba also faced questions from the senators on the oil and gas industry with topics ranging from oil subsidy, bunkering, importation and refineries.

“The solution to ending subsidy corruption is to revamp the refineries. Subsidy will disappear by itself when refineries are working,” he told senators.

Clement Agba, another nominee, said a similar thing about fixing refineries while answering a question on the supply chain of converting crude oil to refined fuel.

“We need to fix our refineries. It is doable and we have the resources in-country. We don’t need to bring in expatriates to have it fixed. We have the capability and ability to do the work,” he said.

He also spoke on how Nigerians can make adequate use of environmental wastes, advocating for the proper separation of biodegradable wastes, plastics, and medical wastes.

“Once we do that, then it becomes easy and less expensive to create wealth from waste,” he said.

Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Foreign Affairs during Buhari’s first term, also appeared for screening on Monday to give an account of diplomatic issues he faced during his first stint.

He said President Buhari has shown himself to be one of the strongest brands Nigeria has on the foreign scene culminating in his appointment as the African Union’s Anti-Corruption chairman, as well as the chairman of the Authorities of Heads of States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Onyeama said he assisted the president to fight corruption on the continent and mediate in political issues in some neighbouring African countries.

The former minister noted that, going forward, the most important thing is the need to bring the whole architecture of Nigeria’s foreign policy to the 21st century.

“With that in mind, I started the process of a desk-to-desk gap analysis of the ministries, agencies and all our embassies around the world to look at the human resource needs and gaps, the work procedure, ICT, the whole gamut.

“The purpose of this is to now have a road map for the modernisation of our foreign service and foreign policy architecture,” he said.

Onyeama also answered questions from senators on xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, welfare of Nigerian workers in Nigerian embassies abroad, the financial exploitation of Nigerians applying for visa with foreign nations, as well as the vibrancy of Nigeria’s foreign policy.

The nominee said the welfare of Nigerian embassy staff is a real challenge that is being addressed.

“The amount appropriated to our embassies is usually just a fraction of what we’ve identified as the needs of these embassies, and then they’re not paid on time,” he said.

As has been practiced since the screening commenced, nominees who have previously served in the National Assembly or State House of Assembly were not questioned by senators, as is tradition, and were simply asked to ‘take a bow’ and leave after they were introduced.

Mohammed Mahmood and Gbemisola Saraki were two of the nominees who enjoyed this privilege on Monday.

Female nominees have also been allowed to enjoy a similar privilege, allowing Mariam Katagum to also escape questioning from the senators.

During her opening presentation, she appealed for the government to make education work for the Nigerian children and youth.

“And what that means is we need to invest more in education and particularly more in teachers,” she said.

A total of 40 ministerial nominees have now cleared by the Senate since the screening exercise commenced last week.

The remaining three nominees, including former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, are scheduled to be cleared on Tuesday, July 30, bringing an end to the exercise.

102 thoughts on “Ministerial Screening Day Four: Senate Clears Fashola, Aregbesola, Seven Others As Buhari’s Ministers.

  1. Co zrobić, jeśli zapomnieliśmy hasła? Po kliknięciu przycisku “Zaloguj się” wybieramy opcję “Przypomnienie hasła/nazwy użytkownika”. Podajemy adres e-mail oraz datę urodzenia, a na podany adres zostanie wysłany link do zmiany hasła.

  2. I feel that is among the so much significant info for me. And i am satisfied studying your article. However should commentary on some basic issues, The site style is ideal, the articles is in reality excellent : D. Excellent activity, cheers

  3. I think this is among the so much vital info for me. And i’m happy reading your article. But wanna remark on few common issues, The site style is wonderful, the articles is really excellent : D. Just right job, cheers

  4. Excellent article!! I am an avid reader of your website:D keep on posting that good content. and I’ll be a regular visitor for a very long time!!

  5. I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

  6. Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading through your articles. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks a lot!

  7. If you don’t mind, where do you host your weblog? I am looking for a very good web host and your webpage seams to be extremely fast and up most the time…

  8. I wanted to check up and let you know how, a great deal I cherished discovering your blog today. I might consider it an honor to work at my office and be able to utilize the tips provided on your blog and also be a part of visitors’ reviews like this. Should a position associated with guest writer become on offer at your end, make sure you let me know.

  9. Abnormal this put up is totaly unrelated to what I was searching google for, but it surely used to be listed at the first page. I suppose your doing one thing proper if Google likes you adequate to place you at the first page of a non similar search.

  10. The post is absolutely fantastic! Lots of great info and inspiration, both of which we all need! Also like to admire the time and effort you put into your website and detailed info you offer! I will bookmark your website!

  11. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.

  12. Thanks for another great post. Where else may anybody get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I’m at the search for such information.

  13. Hello there, You have done an incredible job. I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this site.

  14. Have you given any kind of thought at all with converting your current web-site into French? I know a couple of of translaters here that will would certainly help you do it for no cost if you want to get in touch with me personally.

  15. I’m partial to blogs and i actually respect your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and preserve checking for new information.

  16. Hey, I simply hopped over to your website by way of StumbleUpon. No longer one thing I’d normally learn, but I preferred your thoughts none the less. Thanks for making one thing worth reading.

  17. Παρέχουμε αξιολογήσεις για τα κορυφαία ελληνικά διαδικτυακά καζίνο, επικεντρωνόμενοι σε ποικιλία παιχνιδιών, εμπειρία χρήστη και ασφάλεια. Τα live καζίνο προσφέρουν μια καθηλωτική εμπειρία με ζωντανούς ντίλερ, παρόμοια με τα παραδοσιακά καζίνο, εξασφαλίζοντας την καλύτερη επιλογή για χρήστες, εξασφαλίζοντας συμβατότητα με κινητές συσκευές και αξιόπιστη υποστήριξη πελατών.

  18. These kind of posts are always inspiring and I prefer to read quality content so I happy to find many good point here in the post. writing is simply wonderful! thank you for the post

  19. Kasyna na całym świecie próbują przyciągnąć graczy różnymi sposobami, w tym oferując bonusy bez depozytu, jak darmowe spiny bez depozytu za rejestrację. Free spiny to obroty bębnami, podczas których nie jest pobierana gotówka z salda gracza. Aby nie ponosić strat, kasyna wprowadziły wymagania związane z obrotem wygraną z bonusów bez depozytu. Darmowe spiny bez depozytu za rejestrację są alternatywą do bonusów gotówkowych, które daje kasyno online za rejestrację. W tym tekście przejrzymy się szczegółowo wszystkim kwestiom związanym z darmowymi spinami bez depozytu.

  20. Witaj na oficjalnej stronie kasyna online Slottica Polska, które oferuje gry z polską walutą! To idealne miejsce dla tych, którzy chcą miło spędzić czas wolny, relaksując się i zanurzając w świat ekscytującej rozgrywki. Slottica to wiodące, licencjonowane kasyno, które zdobyło popularność wśród graczy od momentu uruchomienia w 2019 roku. To wszystko zasługa naszej atrakcyjnej oferty i hojnego programu bonusowego. Kluczowym elementem, który ułatwia wygrywanie znaczących sum pieniężnych w Slottica Kasyno, jest dostępność gier wyłącznie od topowych producentów. Użytkownicy wyrażają zadowolenie z możliwości sprawnej realizacji wypłat wysokich wygranych, co jest możliwe dzięki szerokiemu spektrum powszechnie akceptowanych metod płatności na terenie Polski.

  21. What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively useful and it has aided me out loads. I hope to contribute & help other users like its aided me. Great job.

  22. Kasyno i zakłady bukmacherskie MostBet zostały założone w 2009 roku i od tego czasu marka ta zdobyła silną pozycję oraz dużą popularność w branży hazardowej na całym świecie. MostBet to doskonałe połączenie zakładów sportowych oraz gier hazardowych online. Za marką stoi firma Venson LTD, której siedziba mieści się w Nikozji na Cyprze. Działalność kasyna jest regulowana licencją wydaną przez władze Curacao. Kluczowe informacje dotyczące Mostbet com zostały zaprezentowane w poniższej tabeli.

  23. Şansınızı başka yerde aramayın! Türkiye’nin en kazançlı bahis sitesi Jojobet Casino, sizi kazananlar arasında görmek istiyor! Hemen şimdi Jojobet TR üye olun ve her gün sınırsız miktar ve sayıda para çekme fırsatıyla kazancınızı artırmaya başlayın.

  24. Branża hazardowa zarówno w Polsce, jak i na świecie rozwija się w tempie wykładniczym. Z racji dużej ilości marek, łatwo jest trafić na nieuczciwą firmę, które sprawi, że całe doświadczenie będzie negatywne. W tej recenzji na tapet weźmiemy operatora Slottica Online Casino, które jest stosunkowo nowe, natomiast nie znaczy to, że jakość usług oferowana przez tę markę nie jest na wysokim poziomie. Slottica Casino posiada wykwalifikowany zespół, który od samego początku przykłada ogromną uwagę do nawet najmniejszych detali. Jeżeli chcesz się dowiedzieć nieco więcej na temat tej firmy, to czytaj dalej tę recenzję! Miłej lektury!

  25. I thought it was going to be some boring old post, but I’m glad I visited. I will post a link to this site on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful.

  26. These kind of posts are always inspiring and I prefer to read quality content so I happy to find many good point here in the post. writing is simply wonderful! thank you for the post

  27. Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading through your articles. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks a lot!

  28. This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I have joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!

  29. The post is absolutely fantastic! Lots of great info and inspiration, both of which we all need! Also like to admire the time and effort you put into your website and detailed info you offer! I will bookmark your website!

  30. If you don’t mind, where do you host your weblog? I am looking for a very good web host and your webpage seams to be extremely fast and up most the time…

  31. I think it is a nice point of view. I most often meet people who rather say what they suppose others want to hear. Good and well written! I will come back to your site for sure!

  32. I don’t know if it’s just me or if everybody else experiencing issues with your site. It appears as though some of the written text on your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before. Appreciate it

  33. I have been curious about these trends, and you have really helped me. I have just told a few of my friends about this on FaceBook and they love your content just as much as I do.

  34. I’m so happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the random misinformation that’s at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this best doc.

  35. Easily, the post is really the greatest on this laudable topic. I concur with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your future updates. Saying thank will not just be sufficient, for the wonderful c lucidity in your writing. I will instantly grab your rss feed to stay privy of any updates. Solid work and much success in your business enterprise!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *