Headline

Senators Disagree On Screening Process Of Tinubu’s Ministerial Nominees

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2023

Ahead of Monday’s commencement of the screening of the 28 ministerial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu, senators have disagreed sharply on the screening processes.

The Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) are saying that the screening of the ministerial nominees would be thorough and not take-a-bow-and-go as in the past.

However, the former Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) sharply disagreed with them, saying that nothing new will happen.

Another Senator who spoke with Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, agreed with Senator Abaribe.

The senator said with the list compromising former governors, Senators and members, House of Representatives, it would be more a “take a bow and go” show.

Speaking with Vanguard, Senator Abaribe said: “The screening of the ministerial list will not be different. Nothing has changed to give any signal of a change in methodology.”

Recall that the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio had on Thursday read out the 28 ministerial nominees sent in by President Bola Tinubu for screening at the National Assembly scheduled to commence on Monday.

Also, Senator Adaramodu, while addressing journalists on Thursday, had boasted that the Senators would be thorough during the screening as they would dwell on experience, character, personality, background, among others, just as there will be no take a bow and go except when there are no questions.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu had said, “This time, screening will be very thorough. It is not going to be a situation where the screening will be anyhow.

“We are going to know the background of the nominees and we are not going to disappoint Nigerians.

“We are very much aware of the high expectations of those who will assist the President in fulfillment of his mandate and the constitution.

“To satisfy the expectations of Nigerians for high-velocity performance, we will “eyemark” not “earmark”, the performances. The screening will be very thorough, but there will still be the take-a-bow-and-go.

“The Senate will scrutinise the character, the ability of every nominee. Thorough screening for anybody who will be minister entails he/she must have ideas about everything, but in core specialities like health, yes the minister must be a professional.

“The 10th Senate will not disappoint Nigerians. The team will bring oxygen, the chain to the economy, character of the nominees must be carried in the resume, but we will not manufacture questions and allegations against anyone.”

He advised that as the list has been read out anyone who has anything against them can channel such to the right quarters.

“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.

“On Monday, we are not supposed to have plenary which you know, but we have suspended all rules.

“In fact, we are supposed to go on our annual vacation; we have suspended it for the benefit of this assignment.

“This is a national assignment, very crucial and very pertinent. It is necessary and compulsory for us to be at the chamber on Monday at 11a.m., all other days 10a.m.”

Senator Adaramodu who disclosed that there will be no allocation of time for any nominee, said: “If a single nominee takes up to three hours or a whole day, so be it.

“A nominee who has been brought forward must explain himself. If after explaining nobody is asking question that you are this or that, we will not manufacture it.”

On the usual take a bow, which has become a norm for former senators, he said it is a norm and not an anathema.

The Senate spokesman had said, “Even if you came to National Assembly to submit a paper you must take a bow, so the issue of taking bow is not an anathema, it is a tradition, it is not a slang for complacency.

“It does not mean you cannot be held accountable. It is just a norm.”

On allegation of graft against someone the nominees, Adaramodu said that all had gone through security checks from the executive, adding, “if there is any red flag raise we will look into it.”

Corroborating the spokesperson, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele reiterated that the Senate would be thorough with the screening of the ministerial nominees.

He spoke on Friday at a programme tagged ’24 Hours Marathon Praise and Worship Service’, organised by his admirers to mark his 60th birthday celebration held at the palatial Obafemi Awolowo Civic and Convention Centre in Ado Ekiti.

He said the Senate will scrutinise the ministers thoroughly to ascertain their competences and capabilities to serve Nigeria diligently and in such a way that will bring dividends of democracy to the populace.

He said: “Let me assure Nigerians that the screening won’t be only bow and go, except for those who had been members of the National Assembly before and whom we knew and appreciated that they have the wherewithal to give Nigerians qualitative leadership.

“Nigerians expected us to be thorough. They are expecting us to do a thorough screening. But take a bow and go is not an unparliamentary convention, it has become a practice all over the world and that person must be a former member of the parliament who is well known to us.

“Somebody we have confidence in his ability.

“We are going to follow the constitution to ensure that we deliver our mandate to make those who voted for us happy.

“This will occur at the level of parliament, oversight functions and at the committee level.”

Tinubu’s ministerial list is made up of former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; his counterpart from Rivers, Nyesom Wike, a card-carrying member of main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; the immediate past Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, and former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who is currently the Deputy Majority Leader in the Senate; and the current acting National Chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who represented Borno North in the 8th and 9th Senate.

Also on the list is Senator John Enoh, who represented Cross River Central in the 8th Senate; Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi, former Acting Governor and Deputy Governor Taraba State; former Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Nkiru Onyejiocha, who represented Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Abia State; Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, represents Akoko North East/ North West Federal Constituency, Ondo State, and was Chairman, House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Others are Abubakar Momoh, a two- time member of House of Representatives, who represented Etsako Federal Constituency, Edo State, and Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented Abak Federal Constituency from 2007 and 2011 from Akwa Ibom State.

A former All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Uju Ohaneye, made the list as well as former Executive Director, NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotete from Delta State, and the Special Adviser to the President on Communication, Strategy and Special Duties, Dele Alake from Ekiti State, among others.
VANGUARD

Headline

Nnamdi Kanu’s Case Proof Of Religious Persecution In Nigeria – US lawmaker, John James

Published

14 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

Former chairman of the Africa Subcommittee and now a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative, John James, has claimed that the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is proof of religious persecution in Nigeria.

James stated this when the United States House Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday, held a public hearing to review President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

The hearing in Washington, DC included senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.

James claimed that in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, Nigeria’s Court of Appeal had struck down the charges against him and ordered his release in 2022.

He said: “Religious persecution is tied to political repression and weakening institutions in Nigeria. The detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a clear example.

“In 2022, Nigeria’s Court of Appeals struck down the charges against him and ordered his release.

“The UN Working Group for Arbitrary Detention has also called for his unconditional release, yet he remains in solitary confinement in deteriorating health and recently had to represent himself in court.

“Nigeria has signaled that the law is optional and targeting Christians is fair game. Just hours ago this morning, despite the pleas and cries of Nigerian people and many Nigerian lawmakers, Kanu was convicted on all charges.”

Nnamdi Kanu was on Thursday, sentenced to life imprisonment over terrorism charges.

Headline

Nigerians Don’t Trust Their Govt – US Congressman Riley Moore

Published

14 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

US Congressman Riley Moore has said that Nigerian people do not trust their government.

Moore stated this on Thursday at US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC.

“The Nigerian people don’t trust their government. ‘How can you trust a government that doesn’t show up when you ask them to?

“The Nigerian government must work with the US in cooperation to address these insecurity issues.

“A case that just happened recently in Plateau state. We had a pastor there who warned the Nigerian government that they were under attack. There’s imminent attack forces here in the next 24 hours. Please come and help us.

“The Nigerian government did not only ignore it but put up a press release that it is fake news,” he said.

Moore would be meeting with a delegation of senior members of the Nigerian government, over the devastating insecurity in Nigeria and the US designation of the country as CPC, DAILY POST reports.

Headline

US Makes U-turn, To Attend G20 Summit In South Africa

Published

15 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

In an 11th-hour about-turn, the United States has told South Africa it wants to take part in this weekend’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday.

President Donald Trump’s administration had said it would not take part in the November 22-23 meeting and that no final statement by G20 leaders could be issued without its presence.

It has clashed with South Africa over various international and domestic policies this year, extending its objections to Pretoria’s G20 priorities for the meeting of leading economies being held for the first time in Africa.

“We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind about participating in one shape, form or other in the summit,” Ramaphosa told reporters.

“This comes at the late hour before the summit begins. And so therefore, we do need to engage in those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it finally really means,” he said.

There was no immediate confirmation from US officials.

Ramaphosa said: “We still need to engage with them to understand fully what their participation at the 11th hour means and how it will manifest itself.”

In a note to the government on Saturday, the US embassy repeated that it would not attend the summit, saying South Africa’s G20 priorities “run counter to the US policy views and we cannot support consensus on any documents negotiated under your presidency”.

Ramaphosa said earlier Thursday that South Africa would not be bullied.

“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,” he told delegates at a G20 curtain-raiser event.

There “should be no bullying of one nation by another”, he said.

– ‘Positive sign’ –
Ramaphosa said the apparent change of heart was “a positive sign”.

“All countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here,” he said.

South Africa chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme of its presidency of the G20, which comprises 19 countries and two regional bodies, the European Union and the African Union.

Its agenda focuses on strengthening disaster resilience, improving debt sustainability for low-income countries, financing a “just energy transition” and harnessing “critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development”.

After early objections from Washington, it vowed to press on with its programme and its aim to find consensus on a leaders’ statement on the outcome of the discussions.

“We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make any decisions at the summit,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Thursday.

Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.

He expelled South Africa’s ambassador in March and has imposed 30 percent trade tariffs, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

US businesses were well represented at a separate Business 20 (B20) event that wound up in Johannesburg Thursday.

The head of the US Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne Clark, thanked South Africa for fostering “real collaboration between G20 nations during a time of rapid change” during its rotating presidency, which transfers to the United States for 2026.

“The US Chamber of Commerce will use our B20 leadership to foster international collaboration,” Clark said.

The United States has significant business interests in South Africa with more than 600 US companies operating in the country, according to the South African embassy in Washington.

G20 members account for 85 percent of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world’s population.