Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Barely a month after the resignation of Mr. Uche Nnaji as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology over alleged certificate forgery, President Bola Tinubu has nominated Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh (SAN) as his replacement.
The nomination of Udeh, who currently serves as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Enugu State, was contained in a letter President Tinubu forwarded to the Senate and read during Tuesday’s plenary by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
In the correspondence, Tinubu urged the Senate to give the nominee an expeditious consideration in accordance with constitutional provisions.
The letter read in part: “In compliance with the provisions of Section 147, Subsection 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I am pleased to forward to the Senate the nomination of Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh for confirmation as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“While I hope that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the Senate, please accept, distinguished Senate President and distinguished Senators, the assurances of my highest regards.”
Following the reading of the letter, the Senate referred the request to the Committee of the Whole for immediate screening and confirmation.
Dr. Udeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, hails from Enugu State and is expected to fill the state’s ministerial slot in the Federal Executive Council, which became vacant after the exit of Nnaji.
Nnaji, who was appointed in August 2023, resigned last month following widespread allegations of certificate forgery levelled against him.
His resignation came amid mounting pressure from civil society groups and political stakeholders in Enugu who had called for his removal.
With Udeh’s nomination, the Tinubu administration seeks to restore confidence in the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology, which plays a pivotal role in driving the government’s technological development agenda.
The Senate is expected to screen the nominee within the week before forwarding its resolution to the President.
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