Ministers screening: Senate clears 7, drills 3 nominees
….As Senate drills Cross River, Taraba, Sokoto, Benue, Anambra, Nasarawa nominees
Fourteen out of the twenty eight nominees appeared before the Senate on Monday.
Out of the fourteen, seven were asked to take a bow and go, three were drilled on issues relating to security, infrastructure, date of birth, among others, while others will be screened on Tuesday.
Those who appeared before the Senate were Sen. Abubakar S.Kyari – Borno; Abubakar Eshiokpekha Momoh – Edo; Nyesom Ezenwo Wike – Rivers; Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev – Benue; Sen. John Owan Enoh – Cross River; and Barrister Bello Muhammad – Sokoto State.
Others were Mohammed Badaru Abubakar – Jigawa, Amb.Yusuf Maitama Tuggar – Bauchi; Sen. Abubakar Sani Danladi – Taraba; Barr. Uju-Ken Ohaneye – Anambra; Hon. (Dr). Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo – Ondo; Dr. Betta C. Edu – Cross River: Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim – Nasarawa State; and Arch. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa – Katsina State.
The rest are Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji – Enugu State, Stella Erhuvwuoghene Okotete – Delta; and Nkiru Onyejiocha, Abia.
Those told to “bow and go” were a two- term member of House of Representatives, Abubakar Momoh, and Sen. Abubakar Kyari, who was in the 8th and 9th Senate and presently the Acting National of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Others include former Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike; a Senator in the 8th Senate, Sen. John Enoh; and the immediate past Governor of Jigawa, Abubakar Badaru.
The rest were former Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Nkiru Onyejiocha, former member, House of Representatives and Nigeria Ambassador to Germany, since 2017, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
They are Prof. Joseph Utsev who is presently the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, the home town of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Sen. George Akume.
Utsev in his resume showed that he was born in 1980 and finished his primary education in 1989 at the age of nine, thereby drawing the attention of the Senate on how he would be in primary one at the age of three.
Others were Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi, on an alleged Supreme Court Judgement banning him for holding public office for ten years, and Hon. Bello Mohammed from Sokoto State that has to do with his Secondary School Leaving Certificate.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio said that those who have issues will have their cases looked into at the stage of confirmation.
However, three nominees were told to return on Tuesday for their screening.
They are Arch. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, Chief Uche Geoffrey and Stella Erhuvwuoghene Okotete.