Nasarawa Assembly Declines Screening Of Ex-Commissioner, Grills 7 Nominees

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has suspended the screening of Hon. Yakubu Kwanta, the immediate-past Commissioner for Environment, for the position of Commissioner, citing alleged insubordination of the nominee for its action.

LEADERSHIP reports that Kwanta had failed to appear before the House Committee on Environment to defend his ministry’s 2024 budget performance when he served as commissioner of the ministry.

Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, said Kwanta’s failure to appear before the entire House after the incident involving its standing committee, was an affront on the legislative institution that screened and confirmed him as a Commissioner for two consecutive times.

The issue involving the former commissioner came to light on Monday when the 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 forwarded to the House by Governor Abdullahi Sule.

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

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

Responding, the Speaker stepped down the screening of the nominee, noting that unless Kwanta sent in an apology letter to placate the lawmakers, his nomination would not be considered.

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

The nominees screened included 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 Nasarawa State Executive Council.