UPDATE: Senate screens 46 of 48 ministerial nominees; postpones Keyamo, Mahmoud screening

The Senate yesterday entered the fifth day of the screening of the ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Bola Tinubu for screening and subsequent confirmation.

The Senate commenced the screening exercise with Lola Ade-John, the ministerial nominee from Lagos State after its almost two hours closed-door meeting.

The Screening which started 3 pm, came to an end at 7.19 pm, just as in between the process, the Senate went on break at 5.05 pm and returned at 5.45 pm.

President Tinubu had earlier sent a list of 28 ministerial nominees followed by a supplementary list of 19 nominees last Wednesday to the Senate for screening.

Also screened yesterday were Bosun Tijani from Ogun State; Dr Isiak Salako, Ogun; Prof. Tahir Mamman, Adamawa; and Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Taraba.

The Senate will screen Dr Mariya Mahmoud Mairiga, Kano and Festus Keyamo, Delta State on the next legislative day which is Monday.

Meanwhile, when he appeared before the Senate for screening yesterday, the Ministerial nominee from Ogun state, Bosun Tijani apologised to the Senate over his past unpatriotic and derogatory tweets against Senators and Nigeria as a nation.

Tijani, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professional apologised when Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, APC, North Senatorial District, took him on some non-patriotic tweets he posted about four years ago, which the lawmaker found embarrassing and unbefitting of a personality that would occupy a public office in Nigeria.

Speaking on Tijani’s past comments on social media, Senator Buhari said: “On the 21st of July 2019, Dr Bosun tweeted against Nigeria that he does not appreciate the Nigerian passport and Nigeria as a nation,” asking the nominee to clarify whether he still believed in Nigeria and the country’s passport.

Buhari raised the issue after 46-year-old Tijani, an Information Technology expert, read his profile to the lawmakers

Responding to the questions, the nominee said that he was very passionate about Nigeria and wa£s committed to the country’s development, explaining that he made the offensive tweets as a result of a frustrating experience he had with the Chinese Embassy.

Thanking the Senator for bringing up the issue that will ultimately allow him to state his own side of the story, Tijani said, “Please listen to everything I say as if I’m your son because I will speak from my heart and everything I say today can be proven.

“I spent the last 15 years of my life, going all across the world looking for people to support young people who believe they can use technology to help lift this country forward.

“I’ve done this in so many ways, I’ve done this very loudy and subtly. One of the most subtle things I’ve done is that since founding my company, we’ve opened now in four countries and every time you get to the lobby of our offices in this country, you will see an artwork there.

“Embedded in that artwork is the flag of Nigeria. If you go to Kigali in Rwanda today, you will find that, if you go to Nairobi, you will find it. If you go to Namibia, you will find it everywhere we go.

“In 2019, as a sequel to something I did with Google, the business I do, which is to support young people to build businesses require that there is money and the ability to raise money relies on the ability to attract investors from abroad.

“And I did everything possible to build a company that’s fully domiciled in Nigeria. In the technology space, people have to domicile their businesses in Nigeria. I domiciled that business in Nigeria.

“In 2019, we decided to improve Nigeria’s opportunity to be able to raise more money that we need to be doing a tour of the whole world, but we didn’t have to just do it as Nigerian but as Africans.

“So, I opened up 15 slots. This whole trip was paid for by Google and nothing came to my pocket.

“We gave about eight slots to Nigerians. Because I have a second citizen, which is a British passport, I was in the UK, and I was trying to apply for my Chinese visa because I did not need visa to every other country.

“I got to the embassy and I was told that it will take me two days to get my Chinese. I was excited.
“And the gentleman said, what do you do, where’s your payslip? I said I run my business.

“He says we have to see your bank account statement and I said I’m happy to provide it but told him my business is fully domiciled in Nigeria.

“The moment I mentioned Nigeria, the gentleman said they have to do a special check on me and it was gonna take a minimum of two weeks.

“In anger, I tweeted what you read which was paraphrased wrongly.

“One, I’ve also been given a taste of what young people have been doing to all of you, as well, which is, the tweet you read is just the first part of that tweet.

“The second part specifically mentioned that for us to lift this country up, we must find a way to correct our image to project positive image. This is because I don’t want my two young girls to grow up, because they’re gonna be proud Nigerians, I don’t want them to grow up to experience the same thing.

“This is something that can be proven. What is given to you sir, is just a screenshot of the first one which is convenient.

“I’m very passionate about Nigeria. As I’m standing in front of you, I’ve just closed the business I’ve been working on for two years, which is going to support 36 Nigerian entrepreneurs with 65 million naira to build technology that specifically focused on education.

“I did not do this because of my pocket. I’m standing here with you today because people know me for the work I’ve done. Not because of my father or mother because they are both late.

“I do not have political connections. I am extremely passionate about Nigeria. What it takes Mark Zuckerberg to say to Africa for the first time, and before meeting anybody, it was me he came to.

“It was a lot of due diligence on my passion and interest for the founder of Twitter to come and meet me as a leader, when I wasn’t recommended, it was for my passion and interest.

“And just a couple of weeks ago, when Mr. President was inaugurated, Bill Gates was in Nigeria to speak to the young people about the hopes and opportunities that exist in this country, I was the one who hosted him, it was nationally televised. And it gave a lot of hope to our young people.

“I am not what is been represented online. I might have said things out of passion and support for young people.
“On this matter, lastly, because I support a lot of young people, we give them a lot of opportunity to come to Yaba to come and learn software development to get businesses of their own
“Sir, I used to spend almost 30, 40% of my time going to look for ways to bail young people put of police station because they were found with laptops in their bags, not because there was any evidence to show that these people are fraudulent people.

“Who created a fund that is backing people, in Nigeria and across Africa to build their businesses. I did not have any stake in these businesses, these are businesses that truly we need in this country and that’s why I do what I do.
“Senator, I urge you, this is an opportunity for me to show the entire tweet that’s been passed into you, that is not me.

“As a Yoruba boy that grew up in Lagos and Abeokuta, so I do understand that we are not meant to disrespect our elders. That was not the training we were given.

“My father won’t be proud of me for all these allegations but what he will be proud of as well is the passion that led me those mistakes.

“I apologise to everyone in this hall, including everyone anywhere in Nigeria that may have been offended by everything I’ve said.

“I ask that you please, in the process of accepting my apologies that you look at the undertone of everything I’ve said. I didn’t say it to spite, I said it out of frustration. So, please accept my sincere apologies.

“Distinguished Senators, please accept my apologies for going too far in my explanation, I’m absolutely sorry for everything I’ve said”.

At this point, Senator Ishaku Abbo, APC, Adamawa North, seeing that the nominee was also going to face more accusations from other Senators, quickly intervened to save Tijani, stressing that the nominee tweeted out of a mixture of frustration and love for Nigeria.

Also to save the nominee was Senator Olamilekan Adeola, APC, Ogun West who is from his state, requested that his “youthful exuberance” and “shortcoming” should be forgiven.

Adeola, who chided the nominee, said that Tijani has what it takes to use his skills to develop Nigeria’s IT industry, saying the baby should not be thrown away with the bath water.

Also taking Tijani up, the Senate Minority Leader, PDP, Plateau North, Simon Mwadkwon, read another “non-patriotic” tweet by Tijani which was posted sometimes in 2021.

To help the nominee out of the quagmire, the Senate Majority Leader, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Opeyemi BaBamidele, APC, Ekiti Centraldescribed Tijani as an “EndSARS protester”, revealing that his own daughter also protested police brutality and extrajudicial killings in October 2020.

According to Bamidele, Tijani was trying to speak for his generation and should not be haunted for the tweet, pointing out that President Bola Tinubu wants to work with young people like Tijani to bring harmonise their ideas for the betterment of the country.

Bamidele asked youths to learn from Tijani’s situation and thereafter urged his colleagues to forgive the nominee.
With the intervention of the the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the nominee subsequently apologised for his non-patriotic tweets and Akpabio said that his apology was accepted.

Akpabio said,“We thank Mr President for giving the opportunity to very young people. Something that you did because you your credentials we are very impressed by the opportunity to join these governments.

“You’ve done so much for our young people for them to sustain themselves and you are very determined to make sure that your young children grow up to be proud of their identity as Nigerians so that what you suffered Internationally should not be metted to them and that the image of this country must be protected.

“Even people are disappointed with the way Nigeria’s image is being battered in the international community but since then you have made effort to correct the image.

“You have brought Zuckerberg, Gates and you are doing a lot of things to bring young Nigerians to go into IT business for them to make money from there to sustain themselves and you are very determined to make sure that your young children grow up to be proud of their identity as Nigerians so that what you suffered Internationally should not be metted to them and that the image of this country must be corrected.

“So, when Mr President gave you this opportunity, we are very happy and this is now even a higher platform for you to come in and help change that image and also have to change Nigeria.

“We are all fathers and we cannot throw the baby away with the bath water…On behalf of the Senate, I want to accept your apology.

“On behalf of the Senate, I want to accept your apology. Keep up the good work of creating opportunities for young people to grow so that they will not be having the kind of anger that made you to make all those tweets”.

The President of the Senate then asked Tijani to take a bow.

Recall that of the last nineteen nominees sent on Wednesday, with an additional one on Friday and a replacement done by the President, thirteen were screened, leaving seven for yesterday.
On Friday, those who were asked to take a bow and go were Adegboyega Oyetola, Ibrahim Geidam, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Senator Alkali Ahmed Said, Senator Atiku Bagudu, Bello Matawalle, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, and Honourable Zephaniah Jisalo.

Also screened on Friday were Tunji Alausa, Lagos; Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe; Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Niger; Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Bayelsa; Senator Alkali Ahmed Said, Gombe; Simon Bako Lalong, Plateau; Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi Bello Matawalle , Zamfara and Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Kebbi.

Also screened was the first original inhabitant of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT as a Ministerial Nominee, Honourable Zephaniah Jisalo, just as the immediate past Senate Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda led other Stakeholders from the FCT on a solidarity support for Jisalo as the first Minister to be appointed from the FCT.

Also screened on Friday was the son of late former Governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu. The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello led other Stakeholders from the state to the National Assembly who were at the hallowed chamber to support the nominee.

Ahmed Tijani Gwarzo from Kano was the last to be screened on Friday at 6.52pm.

Those earlier screened before the last list were the twenty- eight nominees and they include Abubakar Momoh, Edo; Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Bauchi; Arch. Ahmed Dangiwa, Katsina; Barr. Hannatu Musawa, Katsina; Chief Uche Nnaji, Enugu; Dr. Betta Edu, Cross River; Dr. Dorris Aniche Uzoka, Imo; David Umahi, Ebonyi; Nyesom Wike, Rivers; Badaru Abubakar, Jigawa; Nasiru Ahmed Elrufai, Kaduna; Hon. Ekperipe Ekpo, Akwa Ibom; Hon. Nkiru Onyeojiocha, Abia and Hon. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, Ondo.

Others were Hon. Stella Okotette, Delta; Hon. Uju Kennedy Ohaneye, Anambra; Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Sokoto; Dele Alake, Ekiti; Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Kwara; Muhammad Idris, Niger; Olawale Edun, Ogun; Waheed Adebayo Adelabu, Oyo; Mrs Iman Suleiman Ibrahim, Nasarawa; Professor Ali Pate, Bauchi; Professor Joseph Utsev, Benue; Senator Abubakar Kyari, Borno; Senator John Enoh, Cross River and Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, Taraba.

Updating President Tinubu’s Ministerial Nominees per zone, South-South has 8, with Ekperikpe Ekpo – Akwa Ibom; Sen. Heineken Lolokpobri – Bayelsa; Betta Edu – Cross River; John Enoh – Cross River; Stella Okotete – Delta; Abubakar Momoh – Edo; Nyesom Wike – Rivers and Festus Keyamo- Delta.

South-West has nine, Dele Alake – Ekiti; Tunji Alausa – Lagos; Lola Ade John – Lagos; Olawale Edun – Ogun;Dr.Ishak Salako – Ogun; Dr. Bosun Tijjani – Ogun; Olubunmi Tunji Ojo – Ondo; Adegboyega Oyetola – Osuo . ,, and Waheed Adebayo Adelabu – Oyo.

For South East, there are five nominees, with each State having a nominee and they are Uche Nnaji – Enugu; Doris; Aniche Uzoka – Imo; David Umahi – Ebonyi; Nkeiruka Onyejocha – Abia and Uju Kennedy Ohaneye – Anambra.
North-East has 8 and they are Prof. Tahir Mamman – Adamawa; Yusuf Maitama Tuggar – Bauchi; Ali Pate –Bauchi; Abubakar Kyari – Borno Sen. Alkali Ahmed Saidu – Gombe; Sani Abubakar Danladi – Taraba; Uba Maigari Ahmadu – Taraba and Sen. Ibrahim Geidam – Yobe.

North-West has 10 and they are Badaru Abubakar – Jigawa; Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai – Kaduna Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Mairiga- Kano; Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo – Kano; Ahmed Dangiwa – Katsina; Hannatu Musawa – Katsina; Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu – Kebbi; Atiku Bagudu – Kebbi; Bello Muhammad Goronyo – Sokoto and Bello Matawalle – Zamfara.

North-Central has 8 and they are Prof. Joseph Utsev – Benue; Shuaibu Abubakar Audu – Kogi; Lateef Fagbemi – Kwara; Iman Suleiman Ibrahim – Nasarawa; Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi – Niger; Muhammad Idris – Niger; Simon Along – Plateau and Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo – FCT.