Senate Announces Date to Screen Minister Nominees

The Nigerian Senate led by Godswill Akpabio has announced date to President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees.

Daily Report Nigeria reports that the Red Chamber  will commence screening of the nominees on Monday, July 31.

The announcement came after President Bola Tinubu submitted a list of 28 nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

The list included prominent names such as Nasiru El-Rufai, Nyesom Wike, Wale Edun, Adebayo Adelabu, Betta Edu, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Muhammed Badaru, Dele Alake, and Muhammed Idris, amongst others.

The ministerial list was delivered to the Senate President by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Tinubu.

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Of the 28 ministerial candidates, six were women and four are former governors.

Tinubu, in a message read out by the Senate President, assured the Red Chamber that the remaining 16 candidates would be sent to the Senate by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Senate Spokesperson Senator Yemi Adaramudo, speaking to the press after the plenum, explained that the Senate has suspended its annual leave to attend a rehearsal for the selection of ministerial candidates.

Adaramudo stated that the reconnaissance exercises will be comprehensive and not just a matter of “bow and go.”

He said:

“The 10th Senate will “scrutinize the character, personality, and the ability of every nominee.

“Thorough screening for anybody who will be minster entails he/she must have ideas about everything, but in core specialties like health, judiciary, yes the minister must be a professional.

“The character of the nominees must carry the resume, but we will not manufacture questions and allegations against anyone.”

According to him, now that the nominees’ names have been read, anyone who has anything against them, such as petitions, can refer them to the appropriate districts of the Senate.

Regarding the allegations of some candidates such as the former governor in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC cases, Adamudu said that all the candidates have gone through the law enforcement background check process.

He said:

“However, if there is any red flag raise we will look into it, re- emphsising that Nigerians will never be disappointed by the Senate as ‘the team will bring oxygen.’

“Although the Senate is not supposed to sit on Mondays, but because of the importance attached to this national assignment, we have suspended all our rules for them to commence the exercise next Monday.”

Meanwhile, about five states were still not represented in the list of ministerial candidates, namely Lagos, Adamawa, Kogi Anambra, and Bayelsa.

Candidates from the missing states, checks revealed, should be in the second group promised by the President.