13th October, 2015
National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is one of the ministerial nominees, was asked to take a bow and go when the Senate Tuesday began screening the first batch of ministerial nominees whose list was sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on 30 September.
Lai Mohammed was the first to be accorded such a privilege out of the six nominees that were screened before him.
Before he took a bow, the Senate President Bukola Saraki asked him to say a few things about himself that he wished the Senators should know since copies of his CV were with all the Senators.
He elicited laughter on the floor of the Senate when he told opposition PDP Senators that he wished they would remain in opposition longer than four years, just as his party, the APC was in opposition for 16 years before it eventually clinched power from PDP in this year’s general elections.
Senator Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, caused more laughter when he said, knowing who Mohammed was, if the Senators don’t allow him to go, he would drop one or two propaganda on the floor of the Senate.
Earlier, the Senate screened the first nominee, Senator Udo Udoma, followed by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti State.
Fayemi was grilled for almost an hour before his nomination was confirmed. Before his confirmation, Senator Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, who stood up to second the motion that Fayemi should be confirmed, eulogised Fayemi and said he hoped he would discharge his duties as minister creditably.
Audu Ogbeh then took his turn and was followed by former governor, Ogbonnaya Onu, General Danbazzau, Amina Ibrahim and others.
Altogether, ten nominees out of the 21 in the first batch were screened on Tuesday. The screening continues on Wednesday.
Most of the screened nominees obviously impressed the legsilators with their brilliant responses to questions raised about issues concerning Nigeria, Nigerians and the global community.