Senate sets requirements for ministerial screening

The Senate today met behind closed doors to fine-tune strategies and to set standard requirements for screening of next Tuesday’s ministerial nominees.

The modalities which was revealed at a press briefing by Senate’s spokesman, Dino Melaye emphasized that the requirements which was drawn from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended was to ensure a hitch free exercise.

“You will recall that the Senate met behind close doors earlier in the day and the Executive session was meant to fine-tune modalities of Ministerial screening due to start on Tuesday next week. The Senate is relying on the provisions of section 147(3), section 14(3), section 65 of the Constitution for the screening,” he said.

Melaye added that those provisions would be strictly observed, stressing that any nominee who fails to meet those requirements may not scale through.

Expressing Senate’s position on the tradition of ‘ take a bow and go’ for those colleagues who were former lawmakers, he noted that the Chairman of the session which is the Senate President may asked them questions.

He also emphasized that all nominees must show proofs of asset declaration to the Code of Conduct for them to be able to face Senate next week, while also calling on all nominees to as a matter of urgency forward their curriculum vitae.

“It is mandatory that all nominees will show evidence of asset declaration as part of requirements for screening,” he maintained.

He stated that the Senate’s standing rules require that a minimum of 2 Senators from the state of a nominee must have subscribed to their nomination.

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