By Milcah Tanimu

President Bola Tinubu has officially sworn in 17 federal commissioners for the National Population Commission, whose nominations he made in November of the previous year.

The ceremony took place on Wednesday afternoon at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, where the 17 newly appointed and returning commissioners took their oaths of office in three separate groups.

Initially, on November 8, 2023, President Tinubu appointed a total of 20 federal commissioners to the NPC, with nine of them being reappointed for a second term.

Subsequently, on December 12 of the same year, Tinubu submitted the names of 19 nominees to the Senate for confirmation. However, only 17 of them were present for the Senate’s screening on February 24, 2024, and were subsequently confirmed.

The newly sworn-in commissioners include Tony Alyejina (Edo), Ejike Ezeh (Enugu), Abubakar Damburam (Gombe), Uba Nnabue (Imo), Sa’adatu Garba (Kaduna), Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa (Kano), Yori Afolabii (Kogi), Mary Afan (Plateau), Saany Sale (Taraba), and Ogiri Henry (Rivers).

Two nominees, Olakunle Sobukola (Ogun) and Temitayo Oluwatiyi (Ondo), were unable to undergo screening as they did not appear before the Committee. Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central, PDP), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Population, cited “recent political developments in their states” as the reason for their absence.

Following a moment of silence to honor the late former Minister of State for Health, Gabriel Aduku, the Federal Executive Council convened its ninth meeting under the administration’s tenure.