Senate confirms Tegbe as power minister, Enikanolaiye as foreign affairs minister of state

The senate has confirmed Joseph Tegbe as minister of power and Sola Enikanolaiye as minister of state for foreign affairs.

Their confirmation followed requests sent to the senate by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.

The nominees were screened by the senate in line with constitutional provisions before their confirmation on Wednesday.

They were confirmed after a voice vote presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a sitting of the committee of the whole.

During his screening, Tegbe said he has over three decades of professional experience.

“I come before you as a Nigerian that is shaped with over three decades of rigorous professional engagements at the highest level of public sector reforms, institutional transformation, investment promotion, and infrastructure strategy,” he said.

Tegbe identified ageing and overloaded transmission lines as a major challenge in the power sector.

“Ageing and overloaded transmission lines are the main things we need to overhaul. Power assets are national assets, just like communication assets,” he said.

Tegbe was accompanied to the senate chambers by Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo state, and Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN).

Enikanolaiye, who was nominated as minister of state for foreign affairs, spoke on his experience as senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs.

He outlined the federal government’s engagements with South Africa and Ghana over attacks on Nigerians in both countries.

Enikanolaiye also said he would work to simplify Nigeria’s visa process to attract investors.

Akpabio said the nominee is expected to address issues affecting Nigerians abroad.

“We hope the nominee is expected to address a few key issues: the safety of Nigerians in the diaspora, the dilapidated condition of Nigerian missions abroad, the timely release of funds to these missions, compensation for Nigerians who have been murdered abroad and the pursuit of justice for them,” he said.

“This role will require improving the condition and image of Nigerian missions abroad.”(TheCable)