The Senate, yesterday, screened 10 of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 37 ministerial nominees in an exercise that was both colourful and dramatic. The exercise also raised the issue of thoroughness as some of the nominees were hardly grilled as expected.
The exercise, which started after Senate President Bukola Saraki read out the names of the 16 nominees on the second ministerial list, which President Buhari sent to the Senate on Monday was an opportunity for the nominees to clear their names over some allegations as well as disclose what they would do if appointed.
Those screened yesterday
Nominees screened yesterday were Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Chief Audu Ogbeh; Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Lt.Gen. Abduulrahman Dambazzau; Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Amina Ibrahim Mohammed; Engr. Suleiman Hussaini Adamu and Ibrahim Usman Jibril.
The new nominees
The 16-man list comprised Khadijah Bukar Abba-Ibrahim; Claudius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo State) Professor Anthony Anwuka, (Imo State), Geoffrey Onyema, Brig. Gen. Mansur M. Dan Ali (Rtd), Zamfara State and Barrister James E. Ocholi, Kogi State.
Others are Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Okechukwu Enelemah; Muhammadu Bello; Mustapha Baba Shehuri; Miss Aisha Abubakar; Heneiken Lokpobiri; Adamu Adamu; Professor Isaac Adewole (Osun State), Pastor Usani Usani Uguru and Abubakar Bwari Bawa.
President Buhari in the letter dated 12 October, 2015, read: “In accordance with Section 147(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, I have the honour to forward herewith the final list of ministerial nominees for Senate confirmation.
Before the screening began, there was tension in the National Assembly given the heavy presence of policemen and other security agencies who carried out thorough check on people entering into the complex.
Impromptu closed door meeting
Barely 12 minutes into yesterday’s plenary session, the Senate immediately went into a closed door session. Senate president Saraki came into the chambers with other principal officers at 10.19am. For over five minutes, the Senate President tried to make the senators who were exchanging pleasantries to settle down for business.
A motion was moved by Senator Abdulrahaman Abubakar, Kogi East to adopt the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, October 8, 2015 and supported by Senator Rose Okon, Cross River North.
Soon after the adoption of the motion, Senate President Saraki at 10.32 announced that Senators were going into an Executive Session.
Vanguard gathered that the closed door session was to enable the senators give the nominees soft landing.
But contrary to expectations of many Nigerians, the atmosphere in the Senate was calm, just as the division expected during the screening was managed in the closed door session.
The Senate could not screen former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi yesterday.
The screening of the former Director General of Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation was deferred to Wednesday as the Samuel Anyanwu’s report will be ready today.
The screening which started at 11.45am ended at 5.15pm.
We must review our Tax system – Udoma
Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who was the first to be screened was asked two questions and in reply spoke on the need for Nigeria to review her tax system if Nigeria must get it right.
He said: “We have to look at the various policies for manufacturing. They have to be consistent because that is what investors want. To increase the investment rate from its current 20 to 30 per cent, we have to look at the issue of enabling environment, review our tax policies and I am ready to help redesign it being a child of the private sector.”
