After several months, President Goodluck Jonathan finally sent the names of two ministerial nominees to replace former Minister of Defence, Dr. Haliru Bello, whom he sacked in June 2012 and former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, who resigned his position last August.
The president, in a letter to the Senate, is seeking confirmation for two ministerial nominees – Kabiru Taminu Turaki from Kebbi State and Vice-Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Professor Chinedu Nebo, who hails from Enugu State – to replace the former ministers.
Jonathan, in the letter, which was read at the plenary Wednesday, urged the Senate to treat the request with dispatch by approving Turaki and Nebo’s nomination.
Jonathan also sought for the confirmation of a new five-year term for a Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Alhaji Suleiman Barau, by the upper chamber.
In the letter addressed to Senate President David Mark, Jonathan said: “In accordance with Section 147 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), I hereby submit the following names with their curriculum vitaes for confirmation as ministers by distinguished members of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Jonathan also forwarded the 2013 statutory budget proposal for the Federal Character Territory (FCT) to the Senate for its approval.
According to him, the FCT administration had proposed N253,199,752,402, with N155,660,399,641 as capital expenditure and N48,034,818,410 billion and N49,504,534,358 as personnel and overhead costs respectively.
In another letter, Jonathan briefed the Senate on the proposed agenda for the celebration of Nigeria’s centenary anniversary, explaining that he had constituted a 19-member planning committee to be headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.
Jonathan, who said January 1, 2014 would mark 100 years of the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria, urged the Senate to set aside a convenient date for a full briefing on the programme.