Unlike before, when the jobs of the nominees weren’t shared with lawmakers, this is the first time since 1999 that a Nigerian president has openly revealed the specific roles assigned to the people he nominated.

Last week, President Bola Tinubu sent the names of 7 people he wants to be ministers to the Senate. He asked them to review and approve these nominees. Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the request on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Senate had a list of people who were up for screening. The nominees included 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.

When it was Bianca Ojukwu’s turn, she shared her qualifications and talked about her accomplishments. Afterward, Akpabio invited everyone to ask questions.

Senator Osita Ngwu, lawmaker representing Enugu West District in the 10th National Assembly, had indicated interest to speak. Senate President Godswill Akpabio interrupted Senator Osita Ngwu while he was trying to compliment Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s beauty as he began his speech. The intervention seemed to catch many off guard, as it unfolded in the midst of the senator’s remarks.

All this events took a surprising turn when the former ambassador finished introducing herself and sharing her resume with the senators, it was Ngwu’s turn to talk. He started off by saying some nice things about her looks. He wanted to be polite and acknowledge her presence before moving on to the main topic. It was a friendly way to kick things off. “Mr President, the beautiful nominee standing before us today…,” he said.

Akpabio suddenly jumped in and told him to focus on her resume. “Restrict yourself to the resume. Forget this word beautiful. She didn’t put in the CV that she is beautiful,” the senate president said jokingly.

See video below,

On other things worthy of note, the former ambassador shared an interesting story about her time in Spain. She mentioned that she had to live in a hotel for a whole year because the Nigerian embassy building there was in really bad shape and needed a lot of repairs. This made it tough for her to do her job, but she managed to make the best of the situation.

“I would like to say that my past records speak for me,” she said.

“As an ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, I spent an entire year in one hotel room because when I got to Spain, the mission building was in such an appalling condition.

“The embassy was located very close to the upscale estate of Galagao, where people would pass by on their way to various events and matches.

“It was disheartening that this decadent structure represented Nigeria in such a prestigious area.”

She added that she would work to ensure that the county’s mission buildings abroad are in good condition.

Even though the interruption from Senate President Akpabio added a light-hearted moment to the proceedings. Akpabio’s remarks stirred emotions, while some perceived it as comic relief, others saw it as an attack while few saw it as a way of acknowledging Bianca’s achievement without attaching it to her beauty.

Even though there was an unexpected interruption from Senate President Akpabio, it added a light-hearted moment to the proceedings.

Bianca’s story about her time in Spain serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by our representatives abroad, and her commitment to improving the conditions of our missions is commendable. This event not only showcased the nominees but also sparked conversations on how we can

work toward better governance.

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