Senate Confirms Balarabe, 2 Other Ministerial Nominees

The ministerial nominee from Kaduna State, who replaced the former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday, collapsed while being screened by the Senate.

Abbas Balarabe, who was the second nominee to be screened after Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, had just finished introducing himself and speaking about his experience, when he collapsed about 15 minutes into his session.

Abbas slumped suddenly on the podium when Kaduna South senator, Sunday Marshall Katung was speaking about Balarabe’s administrative experience in Kaduna State.

Shortly after Balarabe finished reading his profile, the Kaduna lawmaker endorsed his nomination, noting that the three senators from the state had no objection to his nomination.

Katung was cut short in his remarks when the nominee slumped, prompting the president of the senate, Godswill Akpabio, to shout, “Give him water, give him water and sugar.”

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Eating is prohibited in the red chamber but such a protocol was observed in the breach because of the emergency.

Akpabio also ordered journalists and cameramen out of the Senate chamber while the live streaming of the screening exercise was also halted as he declared executive session for more attention to be devoted towards stabilising Abbas.

Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed the three nominees forwarded to the Senate on Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had on Tuesday through executive communication to the Senate, replaced the former ministerial nominee from Kaduna State and the immediate past governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai with the former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Abbas Lawal Balarabe.

Tinubu in the communication, also formally requested the Senate to confirm the nomination of Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim from Kwara State and Mr Ayodele Olawande from Ondo State as ministers.

The Senate had in August after screening the first 48 ministerial nominees forwarded to it in July by President Tinubu, confirmed 45 and withheld confirmation of three.

Apart from El-Rufai, the two other nominees rejected were Stella Okotete from Delta State and Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State.

President Tinubu had on September 17 appointed Ibrahim as the minister of youth and Olawande as the minister of state, respectively.