President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday sent a list containing his second term ministerial nominees to the Senate. Reading the names, President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan promised that the House will expedite action in confirmation hearing. Among those on the list are: Senator Gbemisola Saraki, human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun state, and Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State.
On the list also are Sunday Dare, executive commissioner at the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Sharon Ikeazor, Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, Tayo Alasoadura, a former federal lawmaker and Olorunnibe Mamora, a former senator. Chris Ngige, Rotimi Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Adamu Adamu and Lai Mohammed are among those he reappointed.
As a result of the new reality, the Senate has postponed its annual recess by one week to enable members to screen the ministerial-nominees. The senators would have started their annual recess today if the President had not sent the ministerial-nominees’ list on Tuesday. The Chairman, Senate ad hoc committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, while addressing journalists on Tuesday, pledged that the nominees would be thoroughly screened.
He added that the Senate would suspend its rules and would be sitting beyond 2pm everyday during the exercise. He said plenary would be conducted from Monday to Friday until all the nominees had been successfully grilled. He also said all nominees would be given special privilege because they would all be asked critical questions. Adeyeye said, “We have postponed the recess till the end of next week. We are suspending a lot of our rules. Plenary normally does not hold on Fridays, plenary will hold on Friday this week and Monday next week in order to hasten the process.
“We want to do a thorough job and we want Nigerians to know that we are doing a thorough job. It is going to be a lot of sacrifice on our part. We are going to work in unusual hours; normally we sit from 10am to 2pm, which will not apply during this period of confirmation.”
The ministerial nominees have also attracted criticisms from Nigerians. For instance, the PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, said Buhari’s ministerial list was colourless, stagnant, uninspiring and did not convey any sense of hope or purposeful governance. Ologbondiyan said to the utter disappointment of Nigerians, the list was replete with alleged incompetent individuals who failed in their erstwhile ministerial assignments and allegedly left their ministries in shambles. According to him, such a ministerial list can only come from a leadership that does not have the mandate of the people.
Continuing, Ologbondiyan said, “The list has further shown Buhari and the APC’s insensitivity and disdain for Nigerians and it does not in any way reflect their hope and eagerness for a better Nigeria. Furthermore, in recycling failed yesterday’s men for today’s assignment, Buhari and the APC have left no one in doubt that they have no vision to move our nation out of the economic and security predicaments into which they have plunged us in the last four years.”
As the screening continues, we hope that there will be some seriousness to it. We call on the senate to use its powers appropriately in order to ensure that it is the interest of Nigerians that is served. Where nominees fail to impress during confirmation hearings, the senate should as a matter of national interest drop such nominee. The future of the country lies in the hands of ministers going forward.
We equally expect that when eventually the nominees are cleared the president should appoint persons to fill positions they are good at. This time most of the nominees are known to the president. There should be no talk of delay in forming a harmonious working relationship. But we should also hope that the president will unbundle some of the ministries for better streamlined functioning. Although the list contained less female ministers than was touted, we hope the women will discharge their functions when they are finally confirmed.
Also, the list appears unwieldy, unlike in 2015 when 36 persons were appointed ministers, this time 43 have been appointed. We hope the appointments will not end up just satisfying party loyalists. Nigerians are expectant as there are many issues that require attention including insecurity, economic issues, unemployment, infrastructure, etc.
