The Senate on Thursday began the screening of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominee for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, as part of efforts to strengthen the federal cabinet.
Darma was ushered into the chamber at about 12:32 p.m., where he appeared before lawmakers in plenary for the constitutionally required confirmation exercise.
The screening followed a formal request sent to the upper chamber by the President, which was read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Akpabio subsequently referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole, directing it to report back promptly.
As proceedings got underway, senators began questioning the nominee on his qualifications, policy direction and readiness to oversee the housing sector, which remains critical to addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit and urban development challenges.
Darma, a mechanical engineer and graduate of Bayero University Kano, is expected to bring technical expertise to the ministry.
His nomination, however, comes with political baggage. He was previously the deputy governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party in the 2023 elections but was expelled after endorsing the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Dikko Radda, at what the party described as an unauthorised meeting.
Despite the controversy, his nomination is viewed in some quarters as part of the administration’s strategy to deploy technocrats to key infrastructure sectors.
The Senate is expected to conclude the screening process and take a final decision on his confirmation in the coming days.