Senate shifts recess, to sit on Friday over screening of ministerial nominees

Adedayo Adeyeye, chairman of the senate ad hoc committee on media, says the upper legislative chamber has shifted its annual recess by a week in order to screen ministerial nominees.

On Tuesday, Senate President Ahmad Lawan had read out the names of 43 nominees that President Muhammadu Buhari sent for confirmation.

The senators were supposed to go on their annual recess on Thursday.

Speaking with journalists at the nation assembly in Abuja, Adeyeye said they would sit on Friday and Monday in order to expedite the process.

The senate spokesman also said the lawmakers are prepared to make sacrifices and “sit till we are tired.”

“We have postponed the recess till next week, end of next week. We are suspending a lot of our rules,” he said.

“Plenary normally does not hold on Fridays, plenary will hold on Friday this week and Monday next week in other to hasten the process. We want to do a thorough job and we want Nigerians to know that we are doing a thorough job. It is going to be a lot of sacrifice on our path.

“We are going to work in unusual hours, normally we sit from 10 to 2pm, that will not apply till during this confirmation hearing. We are going to sit till very late, virtually every day. On Friday, we will sit till we are tired. We will go on a brief recess and proceed until 10pm.

“We have given ourselves enough time, we will work in unusual hours.”

Uba Sani, senator representing Kaduna central and member of the committee, said they would give each nominee an opportunity to speak because “Nigerians will want to know their agenda.”

“Those who usually will be asked to bow, this time around we will try as much as possible to ask them so they explain to the public what they intend to do,” he said.

When asked if the senate will reject any nominee who performs below expectation, Adeyeye said: “Absolutely, the senate is an independent body, the constitution gave us the role to either confirm or reject.”