Before tomorrow’s commencement of the screening of the 28 ministerial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu, senators have disagreed with the screening processes.
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), said the screening of the ministerial nominees would be thorough and not take a bow and go as in the past.
But, former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), disagreed with them, saying nothing new would happen.
Another senator who spoke with Sunday Vanguard on the condition of anonymity agreed with Senator Abaribe, saying that with the composition where former governors, former senators and ex-members of the House of Representatives are dominating the list, it would be more a take-a-bow and go show.
Senator Abaribe said, “The screening of the Ministerial list will not be different. Nothing has changed to give any signal of a change in methodology.”
Recall that Senator Adaramodu, while addressing journalists on Thursday, boasted that the senators would be thorough during the screening as they would dwell on experience, character, personality, and background, among others, just as there will be no take a bow and go except when there are no questions.
“This time, the screening will be very thorough. It is not going to be a situation where the screening will be anyhow. We are going to know the background of the nominees, and we are not going to disappoint Nigerians.
“The Senate will scrutinize the character, the ability of every nominee.
“Thorough screening for anybody who will be a minister entails he/she must have ideas about everything, but in core specialities like health, yes, the minister must be a professional.”
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had on Thursday read out the 28 ministerial nominees sent in by President Bola Tinubu for screening at the National Assembly scheduled to commence on Monday.
