The Senate has screened and approved the nomination of three additional ministerial nominees nominated by President Bola Tinubu.
Balarabe Abbas Lawal (Kaduna), Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Kwara), and Ayodele Olawande (Ondo) are among the ministerial nominees whose nominations were approved during Wednesday’s session.
Following the screening process, Senate President Godswill Akpabio conducted a voice vote to affirm the appointment of the new ministers.
Earlier, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Kaduna State Ministry nominee nominated by President Bola Tinubu to replace former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, slumped during screening.
Senators and Sergeants At Arms, personnel scurried to render first aid to the nominee after the sad incident.
The nominee, who talked for several minutes during the screening exercise, initially showed no signs of discomfort but soon collapsed to the floor after appearing to have finished his presentation.
Balarabe collapsed just as the Kaduna South Senator, Sunday Marshall Katung, was Balarabe’s wealth of experience as an administrator in his native Kaduna state, having served as Secretary to the state government.
Akpabio instantly ordered journalists and cameramen out of the Senate chamber, and the live streaming of the screening was also abruptly halted.
A lawmaker who requested anonymity later revealed that the nominee collapsed due to weariness from fasting.
He, however, said, “The man is okay now; he has been stabilized.”
Almost an hour after the incident, the Senate restarted the vetting process.
Before asking the final nominee, Olawande from Ondo, Akpabio claimed Balarabe admitted to being weary from overworking for a few days before the screening.
Akpabio said, “The nominee, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, said he was quite exhausted and that he rushed to Abuja for his ministerial screening.”
Lawal was nominated as a replacement for former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
El-Rufai had already been nominated as a minister, but his nomination was not approved by the Senate.
The replacement was announced in a letter delivered in plenary on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Balarabe, a former secretary to the Kaduna State administration, was nominated in April to oversee a 65-man transition committee ahead of Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani’s inauguration.
During his screening, Ayodele Olawande, the ministerial nominee from Ondo State, emphasized the importance of engaging adolescents in constructive activities wherever they are in the country.
He emphasized the importance of establishing digital training centers in all areas around the country to provide kids with essential leisure opportunities while also creating jobs.
In his remarks following the vote, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the 34-year-old community development expert displayed devotion, character, and competence.
![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")
