The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance following his screening during plenary.
Oyedele’s confirmation came after senators questioned him for several hours on economic and financial issues before approving the nomination.
The screening began after a motion moved by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central). Oyedele was escorted into the chamber by the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, arriving around 2:21 p.m. and concluding the exercise at approximately 4:30 p.m.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier written to the Senate requesting the nominee’s screening and confirmation to replace Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite. The letter was read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who said the nomination was made in line with constitutional provisions.
“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,” Tinubu stated in the letter.
“While I hope that this request will receive expeditious consideration of the Senate, please accept Distinguished Senate President the assurances of my highest regards.”
Akpabio subsequently referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for consideration, noting that the matter required urgent attention.
Prior to his nomination, Oyedele, a native of Ikaram in Akoko, Ondo State, served as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he led efforts to overhaul Nigeria’s tax system.
The 50-year-old economist, accountant and public policy expert holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance from Yaba College of Technology and a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University. He has also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.
