The Senate confirmed Dr. Kingsley Ude, a senior advocate of Nigeria from Enugu State, as minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Chronicle NG gathered that the confirmation occurred following a screening session on the Senate floor on Thursday.
Ude, who was born in 1978, formerly served as the Attorney General of Enugu State and Commissioner for Justice.
Senators questioned him about national and diplomatic matters, including Nigeria’s response to recent threats from US President Donald Trump.
Responding, Ude stated that President Bola Tinubu was handling the subject through diplomatic channels, calling it “a matter of diplomacy rather than law.”
He also addressed the issue of splitting the offices of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, stating that the effectiveness of either structure is determined by the officeholder’s honesty and independence.
Satisfied with his responses, the Senate requested him to take a bow and then confirmed his nomination.
Ude’s confirmation comes after the departure of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, due to a certificate scandal.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
