The Nigerian Senate has confirmed Muttaqha Rabe Darma as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria following his screening during Thursday’s plenary session.
The confirmation came after President Bola Tinubu transmitted Darma’s nomination to the Senate on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the presidential communication during plenary and subsequently referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for consideration and report.
During his screening, Darma outlined key priorities aimed at addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit, improving urban renewal, and strengthening regulatory compliance in the built environment sector.
He also pledged to focus on the rehabilitation of abandoned housing projects across the country and the strict enforcement of urban planning regulations to ensure sustainable city development.
Darma, a two-time doctorate degree holder and former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), will now take over the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development following the exit of former minister Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.
In a related development during the same plenary, the Senate confirmed Obehi Aire Okafor as Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund, marking another key appointment in the federal government’s financial governance framework.
