Senate confirms Taiwo Oyedele as Minister

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Oyedele

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By Henry Umoru

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ABUJA – THE Senate has confirmed Taiwo Oyedele as minister of state for finance.

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The confirmation was after hours of questions from the Senators on the economy and finance with answers provided by him.

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The Senate had commenced the screening after a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central.

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Oyedele was led into the chamber by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Senate matters, Senator Basheer Lado.

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The nominee entered the senate chamber at about 2:21pm alongside other government officials and rounded off 4.30pm.

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Predident Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday written the Senate, seeking for the screening and subsequent confirmation of Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.

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The letter from Tinubu was read during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

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Tinubu said the nomination was made in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

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“In compliance with the provisions of section 147(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I am pleased to forward to the Senate for confirmation the nomination of Mr Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the president said.

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“While I hope that this request will receive expeditious consideration of the Senate, please accept Distinguished Senate President the assurances of my highest regards.”

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Akpabio thereafter referred the nomination to the committee of the whole for consideration.

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The President of the Senate said, “Well, in line with our practice and as a result of the urgency, this is referred to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration.

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Until his nomination as a Minister, Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

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Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

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He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

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He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

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