Nine ministerial nominees Tuesday mounted the podium and scaled through before they hearkened to the ‘take a bow and go’ order of the Nigerian Senate.
On Monday, 14 out of the 28 nominees forwarded to the red chamber by President Bola Tinubu were screened.
Those given the privilege were some former lawmakers and governors at one time or the other.
Also read: Ekpo, Umahi, Wike among Tinubu’s Ministerial nominees
Those screened included Blueprint Publisher, Mohammed Idris Malagi (Niger), Dele Alake (Ekiti), Wale Edun (Ogun), Ali Pate (Bauchi), Uche Nnaji (Enugu), Doris Aniche Uzoka (Imo), and Nasir el-Rufai.
Others were David Umahi (Ebonyi), Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom), Stella Okotette (Delta), Waheed Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo), Lateef Fagbemi (Kwara), Ahmed Dangiwa and Hannatu Musawa, both from Katsina State.
However, three out of the 14 nominees screened have hurdles bordering on alleged forgery and seeming age falsification to cross.
Those allowed to bow and go during the screening which lasted about six hours include; Acting National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC), Senator Abubakar Kyari from Borno state, Senator John Enoh (Cross River) and former federal and state lawmaker, Hon Abubakar Momoh from Edo state.
Others are former Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike, his Jigawa counterpart, Abubakar Badaru, former federal lawmakers, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar from Bauchi state and Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha from Abia state.
While Kyari as former lawmaker who represented Borno North in the 8th and 9th Senate did not utter a word before taking his exit, Wike and five other nominees who got similar treatment only made presentations on their personalities before taking their leave.
Save for Onyejeocha, all the three other female nominees were grilled and drilled by the lawmakers on what they could offer the country if confirmed.
They include Uju Kennedy Ohanenye from (Anambra) who spoke at length on her passion for helping the poor in the society, Betty Edu, a trained medical doctor, former commissioner and National Women Leader of the APC who also spoke on issues in the health sector, and Iman Suleiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa), former Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) who was questioned on her stewardship in the agency and issues around the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs).
However, some three other nominees grilled during the session have issues bordering on alleged age falsification, forgery and perjury among others.
Those in this group are Senator Abubakar Sani Danladi from Taraba state, Hon. Bello Muhammad from Sokoto state and Professor Joseph Utsev from Benue state.
Specifically, the Taraba nominee was taken up on alleged Supreme Court judgment banning him from public office for ten years.
Though he spiritedly denied the allegation, but the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, ruled that the issue would be looked into at the stage of confirmation.
On Muhammad, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC Ondo South) observed that he submitted secondary school certificate that didn’t tally with grades contained in his resume.
Although the nominee said he chose not to submit other certificates because the Constitution stipulates secondary school certificate as minimum qualification, but Senate President Akpabio reminded him that he was not standing for election for now.
“Mr Nominee, you will have to make available the certificate that has the grades stated in your resume. Forward it to the secretariat as it would be needed at confirmation stage,” he said.
For Utsev, the Benue nominee, his resume stating that he started primary school at the age of 3 and finished at the age of 9, was questioned.
Though the Ondo nominee, Hon Olubunmi Tunji–Ojo, was taken up by Senator Sadiq Umar (APC Kwara North), on why he did his national youth service at the age of 38, but his clarification was accepted by the Senate.
At the end, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion for the Senate to revert to plenary to report progress, while Minority Leader Darlington Nwokocha seconded the motion and it was carried.
That leaves five remaining nominees, including presidential spokesman Dele Alake; Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Fagbemi; Muhammad Idris, Ali Pate, and Doris Uzoka.
The Senate adjourned till Wednesday to screen the others.
