After DSS clearance, senate to confirm Stella Okotete as minister

Barring any last minute changes, the senate is set to clear Stella Okotete, a former Executive Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) who was recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This newspaper also learnt that Okotete (Delta State nominee) when confirmed by the Red Chamber will head the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

Recall, that the senate had withheld the confirmation of Okotete and two other nominees, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Senator Abubakar Danladi over security checks.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the three nominees, who were not confirmed, had to undergo security screening from relevant security agencies before their appointments would be confirmed.

There were permutations that the senate failed to confirm Okotete following some controversies that surrounded her academic credentials.

But reliable information reaching this newspaper revealed that Okotete, a political god-daughter to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the immediate-past Deputy Senate President of the senate, had received clearance from the Department of State Services (DSS) to take over the assignment.

In a series of documents made available to newsmen through her lawyers, Babatunde Ogala and Co, Stella wrote to the different relevant institutions to verify the authenticity of her certificates and degrees.

The documents showed that Okotete graduated from Benson Idahosa University in 2007 with a second-class lower grade in International Studies and Diplomacy and concluded the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from Kebbi State in 2009.

Other documents made available to SecretReporters showed her professional short course certifications from institutions like Harvard Kennedy School and the rest as well as a Master’s degree from Noun University.

The sources further told our correspondent that the controversies that led to the delay of the confirmation of the Delta State nominee by the national assembly have been put to bed.