Senate ‘bends’ rules to screen ministerial nominees Monday

The Senate has set aside its own rules to pave the way for Monday, July 31, to commence the screening of the 28 ministerial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu.

By the provisions of the Senate Rules, the senators are not supposed to sit on Mondays.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who dropped the hint while briefing journalists after the plenary, said there’s going to be thorough screening for each of the nominees.

He said the Red Chamber had to postpone its annual long recess, which ought to have started on Thursday, to enable lawmakers to screen the nominees for as long as the exercise would take them.

The spokesman ruled out the tradition of automatic “bow and go” for any of the nominees, except where necessary, assuring that the 10th Senate would not disappoint Nigerians.

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He said the screening exercise this time around will be thorough and it will not be just ‘bow and go’.

According to him, “The 10th Senate will scrutinise the character, personality and the ability of every nominee.

“Thorough screening for anybody who will be minister entails he/she must have ideas about everything, but in core specialties like health, judiciary, yes, the minister must be a professional.

“The character of the nominees must carry the resume, but we will not manufacture questions and allegations against anyone.”

Senator Adaramodu advised that now that the names of the nominees have been read out, anyone who has anything against them, like petitions, can channel such to the right quarters in the Senate .

On the fraud allegations against some nominees, like former governors, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, he said all the nominees have gone through security screening checks from the executive.

He said: “However, if there is any red flag raised, we will look into it, re-emphasising that Nigerians will never be disappointed by the Senate as “the team will bring oxygen”.

The spokesman said, “Although the Senate is not supposed to sit on Mondays, but because of the importance attached to this national assignment, we have suspended all our rules for them to commence the exercise next Monday.”