Categories: Nigeria News

Drama as Senators grill El-Rufai during ministerial screening

On Tuesday, there was uproar in the Senate as the screening of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ministerial nominees continued, with the appearance of Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Upon introducing himself, some senators argued that El-Rufai should be given the privilege of ‘bow and go,’ which is accorded to former governors and ministers already screened, exempting them from questioning by the senators.

Several senators praised El-Rufai for his enviable record of achievements in his public service career. However, Senator Sunday Karimi from Kogi State disrupted the proceedings by raising a brown envelope, claiming that there is a petition against El-Rufai concerning the insecurity in Southern Kaduna during his leadership.

The comment by Senator Karimi led to rowdiness and unease in the red chamber. Nevertheless, Senate President Godswill Akpabio refused to allow Karimi to read the petition.

Following the disruption, other senators directed questions to El-Rufai regarding the challenges in the power sector. El-Rufai explained that President Bola Tinubu aims to eradicate power outages in the country within the next seven years. He stated his commitment to working with stakeholders to deliver on this promise if appointed to oversee the sector.

El-Rufai emphasized the need to address transmission and distribution issues, citing that the country has an installed capacity of 13,000 megawatts but can only transmit 5,000 megawatts at a time.

Regarding Nigeria’s power challenges, El-Rufai identified ownership of power distribution companies, injection of fresh capital, and amendment of sector laws as crucial issues to tackle.

After answering the questions, El-Rufai attempted to respond to the petition raised by Senator Karimi. However, the Senate President intervened, stating that it is not the appropriate place to consider petitions. He assured that the petitions would be referred to relevant authorities, noting that there have been other petitions against different nominees.

Ameh Jazzia-Becky

Recent Posts

Senator Onyesoh urges senate to empower NSCDC with laws to curb illegal mining activities, opposes NMRS bill

The Senate Committee Chairman on Federal Character and Inter-Government Affairs, Senator (Chief) Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers…

14 hours ago

BREAKING: Tinubu grants ministers of state full control over agencies

President Bola Tinubu has approved a major policy change, granting ministers of state full authority…

14 hours ago

Zamfara: Former Lawmaker Dumps PDP, Joins APC

Kabiru Yahayya Classic, a former member of the House of Representatives, has officially left the…

14 hours ago

BREAKING: Qantas passenger plane faces engine failure, makes emergency landing in Sydney

A Qantas passenger plane departing from Sydney, Australia, experienced engine failure on Friday, prompting the…

14 hours ago

Court jails 19-year-old trader for robbing elderly woman in Jos

A Magistrates’ Court in Jos has sentenced a 19-year-old trader to nine months in prison…

15 hours ago

TikTok bans Odumeje over controversial ‘dangerous miracles

Popular Nigerian cleric Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, commonly known as Odumeje, has announced that TikTok blocked his…

15 hours ago