The Senate chamber was thrown into panic when the ministerial nominee from Kaduna State, Balarabe Lawal, on Wednesday collapsed while undergoing screening on the floor of the Nigerian Senate. The incident saw Senators scampering to rescue him by applying respiratory first aids to save his life. Trouble started around 1:50 p.m. after the nominee had
The Senate chamber was thrown into panic when the ministerial nominee from Kaduna State, Balarabe Lawal, on Wednesday collapsed while undergoing screening on the floor of the Nigerian Senate. The incident saw Senators scampering to rescue him by applying respiratory first aids to save his life.
Trouble started around 1:50 p.m. after the nominee had introduced himself and highlighted some of his previous achievements in both the private and public sectors, where he had served.
Alhaji Lawal, a former Secretary to Kaduna State Government is the replacement of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who was earlier nominated but was stepped down due to security screening report.
As the second ministerial nominee on the list out of the three for screening before the Senators, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal was having an excellent delivery of his prepared introductory remarks when he slumped. The Senate chamber consequently became rowdy as Senators rushed to the podium to save his life.
Efforts Being Made to Rescue the Nominee 
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, could be heard asking for water and sugar to save the nominee’s life. The Senate blamed the incident on exhaustion and fatigue.
The Senate then went into a closed-door session. The Senate, however, resumed sitting at about 2:55 pm after the ministerial nominee from Kaduna had been whisked away from the podium of the chamber.
Alhaji Lawal was placed at a corner of the chamber where a medical team of the National Assembly administered treatment on him.
Upon resumption of the sitting, the ministerial nominee from Ondo State,Mr. Ayodele Olawande was invited to the Senate chamber for screening.
The Chairman of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said Alhaji Lawal slumped during the screening as a result of fatigue.
“The three nominees that came today have been confirmed. Two of them stood throughout but unfortunately one of them when he started before the screening, he did well, he submitted all his resume and he is the current SSG of Kaduna State, he has a very rich resume.
“Unfortunately, due to exhaustion and fatigue, he had a little health hiccup and we had to drop him, we had to bring him down, let him just get himself together, then he was put together.
Senator Adaramodu said when the ministerial nominee was resuscitated, he wanted to continue with the screening but leadership of the Senate prevented him.
“He even wanted to continue but the Senate said look, because of the exhaustion just go and seek further medical attention and then rest.
“We have already gotten your resume, we have already started and we have got what we wanted from you, so there was no reason for carrying us to Newcastle. There was no reason to delay him further.”
Alhaji Lawal, 65, was the chairman of the 65-member transition committee that handled the swearing-in of Uba Sani as governor of Kaduna State, on 29 May.
He served as the secretary to the Kaduna State Government under former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and he is currently serving in the position under Governor Uba Sani.
He headed the transition committee of the state in 2015 and also served as the vice-chairman of the committee in 2019.
