Obanikoro ,Others Scale Senate's Screening As Ministers

The Senate, on Wednesday, kicked off the screening of 12 ministerial nominees sent to them two weeks ago by President Jonathan.
Six of the 12 nominees were screened on Wednesday with former National Security Adviser (NSA), General Aliyu Gusau, spending only one minute on the Senate floor.

Though he is not a former senator, the class of people that usually enjoy “bow and go” privilege on the floor, Gusau was merely asked to present himself and take a bow.

Mark, who introduced Gusau, said the former NSA was a member of NDA Course One and he (Mark) retired as a member of NDA Course 3.
Gusau  did not utter a word  and was asked to take a proper bow.

“General Gusau was NDA Course 1 and I am a retired general from NDA Course 3,” adding that “you can just tell us if you have anything to add to your CV and if you don’t, you can take a bow.”

Besides Gusau, the Senate also screened Senator Musiliu Obanokoro, former Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, who was also asked to take a bow and go.

Obanikoro was given the floor to introduce himself and told the Senate that he was a member of the fifth Senate between 2003 and 2007 and that he rose through the ranks, having worked as “a newspaper vendor, Apoti seller and a cleaner.”

Although Senator Obanikoro’s screening experience was also a case of bow and go, he was, however, given the opportunity to address his former colleagues.

The former gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State was accompanied to the Senate chamber by former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin; former chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation and governorship aspirant in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore and Senator Gbenga Ogunniya.

He also told the Senate that while serving in Ghana, he was able to raise the trade surplus from N400 million to about N4.6 billion when he left.
Another nominee, Honourable Mohammed Wakil, a principal officer of the House of Representatives between 1999  and 2003, was also asked to take a bow and go.

Other ministerial nominees screened on Wednesday were Ambassador Aminu Wali from Kano; Mrs Akon Etim Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom) and Mrs Laurencia Labaran Mallam from Kaduna.