Chukwu David 
The Senate, yesterday, vowed to make the screening of ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Bola Tinubu very thorough, in order to get the best hands to help the President effectively pilot governance in the present dispensation. The spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja at the close of the day’s plenary session.
He also revealed that the screening would commence on Monday next week, to enable the apex legislative Assembly complete the exercise before embarking on annual recess. The National Assembly would have adjourned today for its annual recess, but did not because of the ministerial list, which was submitted to the Senate Thursday by the Presidency.
Adaramodu also commended the President Tinubu, for sending the list before the constitutional deadline of 60 days, upon swearing in, maintaining that the screening would commence on Monday next week and run through the week. Stressing that the screening would be thorough, Adaramodu said: “The screening this time around is going to be very thorough.
It is not going to be wishy-washy. There is nothing like taking a bow and going this time around. “You can only take a bow and go if there is no question for you. If you come up and nobody is asking any question, and you can prove yourself that you have satisfied all the criteria that can make us as the representatives of the people, to believe that you are going to deliver, then you will surely take a bow.”
On not apportioning portfolios to the ministerial nominees by the President, the lawmaker noted that the job of a minister is like that of a governor, who does not need to be an engineer to build bridges for his people or be a military officer to be able to provide security for his people. On the nominees with allegations of misappropriation of funds like in the case of some former Governors, the Senate Spokesman said: “We will check everyone out accordingly, but don’t forget all the nominees had undergone security checks and subsequent clearances before their names were made public.
“However, we will be glad to receive reports of allegations of misappropriation of public funds, from their constituents so we can have grounds to pin them down.” Meanwhile, there are about six women in the list sent by the President, just as the states of origin and portfolios of the nominees were not attached to the list. Also, it was observed that states such as Adamawa, Kogi, Lagos, Anambra and Bayelsa were conspicuously absent from the list.
