UPDATE: Senate confirms ministerial nominees today, screens Keyamo, Mahmoud

The Senate will today confirm the ministerial nominees forwarded to it for screening and subsequent confirmation by President Bola Tinubu.

Before the confirmation, the Senate would first screen the remaining two nominees sent to it by the President on Friday.

They are the former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, SAN, (Delta State) and Mariya Mahmoud Mairiga Bunkure, a former Commissioner for Higher Education in Kano State during the tenure of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

President Tinubu had earlier sent a list of 28 ministerial nominees, followed by a supplementary list of 19 last Wednesday to the Senate for screening and, thereafter, on Friday, added Keyamo from Delta State.

The name of Maryam Shetty from Kano was removed and replaced with Mariya Mahmoud.

The Senate had on Saturday, screened Lola Ade- John, the ministerial nominee from Lagos State; Bosun Tijani from Ogun State; Dr. Isiak Salako, Ogun; Prof. Tahir Mamman, Adamawa; and Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Taraba.Those earlier screened before the last list were 28 nominees.

Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, will today unveil chairmen, vice chairmen and members of the standing committees, so the the 10th Senate could begin one of its legislative duties, which is the oversight of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs of government.

Aside the nine special committees, the Senate standing Orders 2023 as Amended, provides for 63 standing committees.

Following the announcement of names of the principal officers, with both the principal officers of the ruling and opposition parties as members of the committee of selection, the Senate President is the chairman, while Deputy Senate President is the Vice.

According to the Standing Orders, no member of the selection committee shall serve as chairman of a committee and no senator shall serve in more than seven committees and the special committees that must be announced within the first fourteen legislative days following the first sitting of the Senate, are committee bid selection; Committee on Rules and Business and the Senate Services Committee.