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Last week, President Bola Tinubu submitted a list of seven ministerial nominees to the Senate, seeking their screening and confirmation. Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the request, marking the first time since 1999 that the specific roles for each nominee were disclosed to lawmakers.
On Wednesday, nominees including Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and Suwaiba Said Ahmad, Ph.D., were presented for screening.
During Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s turn, after she presented her credentials, Senator Osita Ngwu, representing Enugu West District, opened with a remark on her beauty, drawing mixed reactions from his colleagues. “Mr. President, the beautiful nominee standing before us today is…,” Ngwu began, before Akpabio interjected, “Restrict yourself to the resume. Forget this word beautiful. She didn’t put in her CV that she is beautiful,” prompting laughter from the Senate.
In her statement, Ojukwu, widow of the former Biafra warlord Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, reflected on her time as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain. She described the dilapidated state of the Nigerian embassy in Madrid, which led her to stay in a hotel for a year. “When I arrived in Spain, the mission building was in such an appalling condition,” she said. “The embassy, situated near the upscale Galagao estate, was an eyesore, representing Nigeria poorly in such a prestigious area. The Nigerian embassy in Madrid you see today is the result of my efforts during my tenure.”