Nasarawa Assembly Confirms 7 Commissioners, Rejects 1

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has confirmed seven commissioners but suspended the screening of Hon Yakubu Kwanta, the immediate past commissioner for environment, citing alleged “insubordination”

LEADERSHIP reports that Mr Kwanta failed to appear before the House Committee on Environment to defend the ministry’s 2024 budget performance when he was commissioner.

Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau said Mr Kwanta’s failure to appear before the entire House after the incident involving its committee was an affront to an institution that twice screened and confirmed him as a Commissioner.

The issue involving the former commissioner came to light when a member representing Keana Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Hon. Muhammed Adamu Omadefu, raised the matter during the screening of Commissioner nominees at the Assembly complex in Lafia on Monday.

„Hon Speaker and my Honourable colleagues, the nominee, Hon. Yakubu Kwanta, the immediate past Commissioner for Environment during our oversight functions, failed to appear before our committee to defend his ministry budget.

„For his failure to appear before this House to explain why he failed to defend his ministry‘s budget performance., he should tender a strong apology before we consider him to appear in this hallowed chamber for screening“, Omadefu observed.

Responding, the speaker stepped down from screening the nominee, noting that his nomination would not be considered unless Mr Kwanta sent in an apology letter to assuage the members send in an apology letter to assuage the member‘s nomination would not be considered.

Meanwhile, the House, However, has screened seven out of the 16 commissioner nominees submitted to it by Governor Abdullahi Sule on February 10.

The nominees screened include the Hon Umar Tanko Tunga from Awe LGA, Dr John DW Mamman from Kokona LGA, Hajiya Munirat Abdullahi from Doma LGA, Mr Gabriel Agbashi from Doma LGA, Barr Isaac Danladi from Karu LGA, Princess Margret Itaki Elayo from Keana LGA, and Dr Ibrahim Tanko from Keffi LGA, respectively.

The Speaker congratulated the nominees and urged them to discharge their duties with the fear of God if finally confirmed and sworn in as members of the State Executive Council.