From Omale Adama Lokoja
Kogi state House of Assembly yesterday screened and approved 15 out of the 17 commissioner nominees presented to it for approval by the state governor, Captain Idris Wada on Tuesday.
Speaker of the House, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, in his charge to the nominees, urged them to key into the Transformation Agenda of the government for overall development of the state.
He also urged them to shun corruption and live above board “so that together, we can take Kogi state to the next level of development.”
However, the nine former commissioners among the nominees were asked to take a bow and leave, in view of the subsisting approval of the House for their initial appointments.
Six of the seven new nominees were screened and asked to take a bow and leave.
One of the returnees and former Information commissioner, Yabagi Bologi and a new nominee, Stephen Aremu were absent during the screening exercise.
The screened nominees include: Joe Abrahams (SAN), Zakari Alfa, Barr Umoru Mohammed, Dr Idris Omede, Abdulrahman Wuya, Engr Steve Mayaki, Dr Abdulmumuni Usman, Ali Aju and Engr Olatunji Oshanusi, all returnees.
The six new nominees screened include Zainab Suleiman-Okino, who until her nomination, was the Executive Editor, Blueprint newspaper; Fidel Egwuche, Dr Agnes Okai, Zacchaeus Atte, Barr. Kayode Olowomoran and Abubakar Ainoko.