Ministerial screening : Senate screens 7 nominees on Friday, schedules 9 for Monday

Abuja, July 26, 2019

The Senate on Friday screened seven ministerial nominees who appeared before it.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senators worked till late hours of the night, while screening the nominees and adjourned by 8:13pm.

Names of those screened include : Abubakar Malami (Kebbi), Sen. Hadi Sirika (Katsina), Dr Osagie Ehanire (Edo), Mrs Pauline Tallen (Plateau) and Muhammdu Dingyadi (Sokoto).

Others are : Festus Keyamo (Delta) and Dr Ali Pantami (Gombe).

President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, thanked the lawmakers for going through the day-long exercise, which he said was unusual in his twenty years in the parliament.

He said nine other nominees would appear before the Senate on Monday by 10am.

They include: Sen. Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara) , Babatunde Fasola (Lagos), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu).

Others are: Maryam Katagum (Bauchi), Mohammed Mahmod (Kaduna), Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa), Goddy Jeddy-Agba (Cross River) and Clement Agba (Edo).

Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Dr Ita Enang has said that the “take a bow policy ” of the nominees was not unusual.

He said the practice is often permitted in several parliaments around the world.

He, therefore, commended members of the 9th Senate for asking what he described as relevant questions from the nominees.

Enang added that “I appreciate the Senate for their dexterity and the intellectual questions they have asked the nominees so far.

“This has indeed raised the bar of the Senate before Nigerians, ” he said.

NAN reports that the Senate will clear up the remaining three nominees on Tuesday before proceeding on its annual recess.