We grilled ministerial nominees on areas of competence – Yari

Senator Abdulaziz Yari has commended the Senate for its approach to screening the first batch of ministerial nominees sent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying most of them were grilled based on their areas of core competence.

He also commented on the credibility and quality of the ministerial nominees, saying most of them were eggheads in their respective areas of calling.

Senator Yari spoke to newsmen after he met with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

The lawmaker, who is the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, described the responses coming from the nominees as satisfactory, adding that the parliament will not hesitate to ensure that square pegs are placed in square holes in terms of eventual appointments.

Yari, who also expressed satisfaction with the capacity of each of them, noted: “So far, those that went through have answered questions satisfactorily, and we are going to do our best to ensure that we put them on for the job.”

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“We are doing our best through what has been presented to us as we ask you questions according to your discipline and what we are expecting from you. For instance, if you know about water resources, issues of finances, education, and health, we centre our questions on what your profession is.

“It’s not about having credentials, not only about having experience; sometimes it’s about the office you are holding. So, you have to do your own best.”

Responding to criticisms dogging the take-a-bow-and-go screening methodology employed by the lawmakers, Senator Yari explained: “Yes, take a bow and go is a tradition. Anybody you would have seen ‘take a bow and go’ prominent citizen that has served the country for a long time, or his or her track record is known to every Nigerian. The National Assembly has a tradition: if you served as a senator or an honourable member, it’s an honour to read your CV, maybe explain yourself, [and be] asked to take a bow and go.

“But where we need to do a thorough job for Nigerians, we used to do it, and you can see. We are doing our best to ensure that we thoroughly interrogate the nominees.”