Senate to get ministerial list in two batches

Yardua, Jonathan

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
28 June 2007

By Sufuyan Ojeifo
Abuja

The list of ministerial nominees to serve in the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua will be sent to the Senate for screening in two batches.THISDAY gathered that this was to ensure that all loose ends are tied in the process of constituting an all-inclusive federal cabinet.

The Senate also yesterday unanimously approved the request by President Yar'Adua for the appointment of fifteen persons as Special Advisers in the Presidency.

The first ministerial nominees list, which may be sent to the Senate between now and weekend, will contain mostly those who were nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors in concert with the party leadership in their various states.

According to information, the second list, expected to come on the heels of the first one, will contain those to be brought on board by the opposition parties. In forming a unity government, the President had said he would only work with All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Action Congress (AC) and Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), being the only parties that formed governments at the state level.

THISDAY gathered that President Yar'Adua may also be considering the inclusion of some women in the second list, because no single woman was said to have been nominated from the states.

Besides, he is also said to be planning to accommodate some seasoned technocrats who are not politicians with a view to injecting into his government their knowledge and expertise in technical aspects that will be needed to grow the economy and bolster good governance.

The President was said to have devised the strategy of sending the list to the Senate in two batches to enable him to also take care of some trouble states as well as ensure that necessary substitutes are incorporated into the second list in the event that some of the nominees on the first list fail the Senate confirmation hearing and screening.

The Federal Government has sent the ministerial nominees list to the State Security Services (SSS) and the Police for necessary security checks.

Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator (Mrs.) Florence Ita Giwa, confirmed this in a statement she issued yesterday in Abuja.

She said the list had not been forwarded to the National Assembly, stressing that the decision by President Yar'Adua to send it to security agencies for screening was to comply with necessary due process.

According to the statement: "We have today (yesterday) submitted the list of proposed ministerial nominees to both the State Department and the Police after almost one week of thorough scrutiny of all necessary documents by them.

"This has become necessary given Mr. President's directive that all necessary scrutiny requirements concerning the suggested names must be met before he makes a formal presentation to the Senate for final clearance.

"It is also in line with Mr. President's regard for due process, thoroughness and circumspection especially on a matter as serious as constituting a cabinet.

"As soon as all procedures are satisfactorily concluded, Mr. President will duly serve the Senate with his ministerial list."

Also yesterday, the Senate unanimously approved the request by the President for the appointment of fifteen persons as Special Advisers in the Presidency.

A motion to that effect, which was listed as the first item on the order paper, was moved by the Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin (Oyo Central), and seconded by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Maina Ma'aji Lawan (Borno North).

With this development, Yar'Adua can proceed to name his Special Advisers and their positions. Some of the fifteen Special Advisers, as learnt, will be appointed to work with Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.