The Senate yesterday screened 14 of the 28 ministerial nominees, whose names were sent to the Red Chamber by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week for confirmation.
Seven of the screened nominees were asked to take a “bow and go”, a privilege accorded to state and federal lawmakers (serving and former) and some other public figures.
They were; Abubakar Kyari (Borno), Abubakar Momoh (Edo), former Governor Nyesom Wike (Rivers), John Enoh (Cross River), former Governor Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi) and Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia).
The seven others were asked questions on different issues concerning their capacity, academic records and previous offices held.
They include: Bello Muhammad (Sokoto), Prof Joseph Utsev (Benue), Senator Abubakar Danladi (Taraba), Barr. Uju-Ken Ohaneye (Anambra), Hon. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo (Ondo), Betta Edu (Cross River) and Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim (Nasarawa).
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Questions were raised concerning the certificates of Muhammad, Tunji-Ojo and Prof Utsev while Danladi was grilled on the court judgment that reportedly barred him from holding public office.
My PDP membership immaterial — Wike
Former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, said President Tinubu will not regret nominating him to serve in his cabinet, despite his PDP membership.
He described himself as a performer, saying there was hardly any politician that visited Rivers State without attesting to his performance because he executed and commissioned a series of capital projects during his tenure as governor.
He said, “I was not the only governor that time, but I stood out because of my desire and commitment to serve my people.”
Wike, who did not deny his membership of the opposition PDP, said in leadership, political party affiliation “is immaterial but the commitment to serve the people and solve their challenges.”
Meanwhile, Wike was asked to take a “bow and go” after reading his brief profile and following an appeal by Senator Barinada Mpigi (PDP, Rivers), who claimed that over 5 million people from the state-supported Wike’s ministerial nomination.
Akpabio said the former Rivers governor was not thoroughly grilled because the Senate had his records, having served as a minister before.
He said Wike had appeared before the Senate for screening when he was nominated as a minister by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Having been nominated again for a ministerial position, there is no point asking him many questions,” Akpabio said.
Controversy over Benue nominee who started school at 3
A ministerial nominee, Prof Joseph Utsev from Benue State, generated controversy over the age he started primary school.
Prof Utsev started primary school at the age of three according to his curriculum vitae.
Senator Mikhail Abiru (APC, Lagos) had drawn the attention of his colleagues to the CV of the nominee where it was stated that Prof Utsev was born in 1980, started primary school in 1983, and completed his primary education in 1989.
Prof Utsev said he graduated as the best student from the University of Agriculture, Makurdi in the Department of Civil Engineering in 2004. He proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he bagged both Masters and PhD degrees in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
Senator Abiru asked the nominee to clarify the dates on his educational qualifications, saying there seemed to be confusion in his academic records.
Responding, the Benue nominee maintained that he was born in 1980 and graduated with his First School Leaving Certificate in 1989.
Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue) appealed to his colleagues to ignore the discrepancy pertaining to dates in his educational qualifications, claiming it may have been a result of a typographical error.
“Looking at the resume that we have, the discrepancies that we have may have necessarily come from a typographical error. I want to say at this point, records don’t lie, and if you look at what we have there and explain the action that he has given. I think we should give him the benefit of doubt.
“I have a point that I want to make here. I want to say that I come from a part of Benue State that is a minority. I want to appeal to my colleagues to approve the nominations of my professor from Benue State,” he said.
But Titus Zam, another Benue senator, disagreed with Moro’s submission, saying that there were no discrepancies in the academic records of the nominee.
“I am from Benue and the nominee is from my constituency,” he said.
At this point, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said he would not entertain any question pertaining to the date in the academic records of the Benue nominee after Abba Moro approached him.
“I will not want to entertain anything on the issue of when he entered school again. Senator Abba Moro just pointed my attention to an important issue, which the nominee will clarify,” Akpabio said.
In a move to bury the issue, Senator Elisha Abbo (APC, Adamawa) said the nominee is exceptionally brilliant like himself for starting primary school at the age of three.
“The nominee is exceptionally brilliant like me. I took the entrance exam at the age of three and I won (sic),” he said.
The Benue nominee was asked to take a bow and go after speaking briefly on how he will turn things around if confirmed and assigned to a ministry, without saying anything about his academic records.
Sokoto nominee grilled on how he got varsity admission with 2 credits
A nominee from Sokoto State, Bello Muhammed was quizzed on how he got admission into the university with two credits from his secondary school result.
Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers) asked the nominee how he was admitted into the university with his certificate.
“You sat for five subjects with two credits. I would want you to explain how you got into university with that,” the senator asked.
Responding, Muhammed said he sat for another examination and passed but did not attach the results to his CV, noting that with the qualification of a secondary school certificate, as enshrined in the constitution, he can stand for an election up to the presidential election,” said.
Akpabio said there was a clear difference between contesting an election and being nominated to serve as a minister.
He said the lawmakers were keen on knowing something in totality about the nominees, including the number of children and houses they had.
According to him, Nigerians have a right to know their ministers as does the international community.
“So, you don’t choose and pick,” he told the nominees, asking him to bring other results he had.
I was not barred from holding office — Taraba nominee
However, a former Senator, Abubakar Danladi from Taraba State was asked to explain the circumstances surrounding the allegations against him that the Supreme Court barred him from holding public office for 10 years.
Akpabio said before he could bow and go, he should clear the air on an allegation that the Supreme Court gave a judgment banning him from holding political office in the country for 10 years over forgery.
The nominee said, “There was no such pronouncement. Senator Shaibu Lau took the matter to the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the court gave me judgment.
“He went to the Appeal Court and the Appeal Court affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court. He took the matter to the Supreme Court, then the Supreme Court gave me judgment.
“So, there is no judgment from the Supreme Court barring me for ten years. The Supreme Court is hearing me as I’m speaking and lawyers are there.
“There was nothing in the Appeal Court, they just struck out the case for lack of merit.
At the Supreme Court, the same thing happened as Justice Odili said that the Federal High Court Jalingo was wrong to have passed the judgment in that manner.
“When I was a deputy governor in 2007 they used their executive power at that time to nullify me.
“So, from the Supreme Court, I had to go back to the Federal High Court, Jalingo since the Supreme Court said there was no basis for the Federal High Court, Jalingo to do that judgment.
“Then in the same jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, Jalingo now sat on the same judgment and set aside that judgment that is hanging on me.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said, “The Federal High Court, Jalingo gave a judgment against you that you were not qualified to contest on the basis of perjury that you lied on oath in respect of your date of birth, then later the Federal High Court sat on the same matter and cleared you?
“What we are saying is that the moment the Federal High Court gave the first judgment they became Fontus Officio in Law and can no longer sit as appellate court over its own judgment.
“So you will definitely say what you want to say, we will study this because it is in the interest of Nigeria and it is of public interest.”
Taking a bow not automatic confirmation — Senate President
Meanwhile, Akpabio told ministerial nominees that taking a bow during their appearance before the Senate does not mean that they have been cleared.
He stated this when a nominee from Anambra State, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, appeared for screening.
Kennedy-Ohanenye was the sole female presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election. She stepped down for Bola Tinubu during the APC presidential primary in June 2022.
After Kennedy-Ohanenye’s opening remarks, Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT) asked her colleagues to let Kennedy-Ohanenye take a bow.
But Akpabio said, “Any nominee that comes before us will take a bow, whether the person is cleared or not. At the end of the day, we will go into the clearance and the confirmation; we will confirm whether the person is qualified or not but bowing before the hallowed chamber is a tradition all over the world.
“So, if you are saying others have taken a bow, they took a bow because they entered into the hallowed chamber.
“We have to amend our rules, we have to suspend our rules to allow strangers to come in. So, when they come, they take a bow; the bow does not mean they have been confirmed. So, even if she (Kennedy-Ohanenye) takes a bow, we will still go into the issue of confirmation later.”
