Ministerial position: At last, Tinubu replaces El-Rufai with Balarabe

At last President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has named Mr Balarabe Abbas Lawal from Kaduna as minister as replacement for Nasir El-Rufai who was earlier rejected by the Senate

Tinubu made the disclosure in a letter addressed to the Senate President Godswill Akpabio whe read during Tuesday’s plenary.

The president, in the letter, asked the Senate to confirm Balarabe and two other ministerial nominees, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande.

Balarabe was nominated to replace the former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, whose ministerial nomination was rejected by the Senate.

The lawmakers had in August declined to confirm Elrufai, Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi (Taraba) and Stella Okotete (Delta) over security clearance.

President Tinubu urged the Senate to consider his confirmation request expeditiously.

Abbas Balarabe led a 65-man transition committee ahead of the swearing-in of Uba Sani, governor-elect, on May 29.

The former secretary to Kaduna State Government also headed the transition committee of the state in 2015 and served as the vice-chairman of the committee in 2019.

President Tinubu had in September approved the nominations of Jamila Bio Ibrahim and Ayodele Olawande to serve as the Minister of Youth and Minister of State for Youth pending their confirmation by the Senate.