Senate approves three new ministerial nominees as one of them collapses during screening

MINISTERIAL nominee Abbas Balarabe collapsed and passed out on the floor of the National Assembly earlier today while being screened on the floor of the Senate and had to be rushed to hospital after he was revived for further treatment.

Mr Balarabe, 65, is from Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State and had been nominated by President Bola Tinubu as a replacement candidate for former governor Nasir El-Rufai. Earlier this week, President Bola Tinubu had forwarded Mr Balarabe’s name along with those of Dr Jamila Ibrahim from Kwara State and Olawande Ayodele from Ondo State to the senate as his three replacement candidates.

A former secretary to the Kaduna State government, Mr Balarabe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Master’s degree from the same university, which he obtained in 1986. Between September 1999 and February 2001, he worked as a special assistant to the federal minister of education in Abuja and between February 2001 and May 2003, he worked as a special assistant to the minister of state (Army) at the ministry of defence.

He also served as the chief of staff to the minister for the Federal Capital Territory from July 2003 to July 2007. Mr Balarabe's most recent appointment was that of secretary to the Kaduna State government in Governor El-Rufai’s administration between 2015 and 2023.

During interrogation by the senate, Mr Balarabe, who was obviously exhausted, abruptly passed out and concerned senators raced to his aid. Senate president, Senator Godswill Akpabio, immediately requested that water and sugar be provided to revive the ministerial nominee.

Senator Akpabio then asked the cameramen to leave the chamber as the senators tried to help Mr Balarabe to a seat. Despite his ordeal, Mr Balarabe was later confirmed as a minister by the senate, as were Dr Ibrahim and Mr Olawande.