Ministerial Screening: Amaechi, Fashola, Others Know Fate Today

The Senate yesterday began the screening of the first batch of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees.

Similarly, the Senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, also read out the names of the 16 fresh ministerial nominees submitted to the Senate on Monday evening by the chief of staff to the president, Abba Kyari.

Those on the second batch of the list include Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Claudius Omoleye Daramola, Prof Anthony Anwuka, Geoffrey Onyeama, Brig-Gen M. M. Dan-Ali, Barrister James Ocholi, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Okechukwu Enelamah, Muhammadu Bello, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Ms Aisha Abubakar, Heineken Lokpobiri, Adamu Adamu, Prof Isaac Adewole, Pastor Usani Usani Uguru and Abubakar Bwari Bawa.

The screening of the initial nominees, which commenced around 11am yesterday, lasted about six hours with senators grilling the nominees on various national issues.

Nominees screened yesterday were Senator Udoma Udo-Udoma, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Lt-General Abdurrahman Dambazau (retd), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Mrs Amina Mohammed, Sulaiman Adamu and Ibrahim Usman Jibril.

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; his counterpart part from Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola and the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State in the last general election, Senator Aisha Al-Hassan, are among the 11 other first-batch nominees yet to be cleared by the lawmakers.

The screening of Rotimi Amaechi, Senator Aisha Alhassan (Taraba), Senator Chris Ngige (Anambra), Hadi Sirika, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Kemi Adeosun (Ogun), Abubakar Malami, SAN, (Kebbi), Barrister Adebayo Shittu (Oyo), Solomon Dalong (Plateau), Ibe Kachikwu (Delta), and Ahmed Isa Ibeto (Niger) is expected to take place today.

Meanwhile, those on the new list include Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim (the wife of former Yobe governor and current senator), Claudius Omoleye Daramola, Professor Anthony Anwuka, Geoffrey Onyeama, Brig.-Gen. MM Dan-Ali (retd), James E. Ocholi, Zainab Shasuna Ahmed and Okechuku Enelamah.

Others are Muhammadu Bello, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Aisha Abubakar, Heineken Lokpobiri, Adamu Adamu, Professor Isaac Adewole, Pastor Usani Usani Uguru and Abubakar Bawa Bwari.

Deputy Minority Whip Phillip Aduda protested the non-inclusion of an FCT native the final list. Quoting the constitution, he urged the National Assembly, which is the legislative arm of the FCT, to appeal to the president to correct the anomaly.

In his response, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu faulted the presidency on the grounds that nominees’ states of origin were not included in the letter, saying he could not identify the nominee from his own state, Enugu, from the list.

Meanwhile, the Senate has explained why former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, could not be screened along with other nominees yesterday. Briefing journalists after the Senate adjourned sitting to tomorrow, chairman of the adhoc committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Dino Melaye, said the recommendations of the Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions would be adopted during plenary today, after which Amaechi would be cleared for screening.

Melaye said: “We expect that tomorrow (Wednesday) we will screen minimum of 10. We will see how we can extend the time and screen all the nominees by Thursday evening, including the new ones. We expect them to submit their CVs to the Senate president on before 10am today. Amaechi was supposed to appear today since his CV was already with the Senate.

“The reason why he was not taken was because the report of the Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions was not ready. The report will be adopted tomorrow (today) and he will be cleared for screening. He will undergo the screening exercise tomorrow (today).”