PDP Chairman Told To Allow Younger Candidates As Senate Confirms Okonjo-Iweala, others

The Senate today continued the screening of ministerial nominees whose names were submitted to it by the President. The screening could not hold yesterday as a result of the closed door session the senate had with the country’s security chiefs and the National Security Adviser.
A mild drama played itself out when it became the turn of the Acting Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bello Mohammed to be screened. After his eloquent self introduction, Senator Kabir Garba Marafa (ANPP Zamfara) was acknowledged to ask the first question. The Zamfara Senator however chose to throw a weighty one when he said “with due respect sir, some of us, including the other nominees from Sokoto State were in primary school when you served as a Commissioner about three decades ago. Now we are here as Senators screening you to become a Minister. With due respect sir, when will you allow give room for fresh air in Kebbi? ”
Senator Smart Adeyemi quickly rose to raise a point of order in which he cited that the use of offensive language is not allowed in debates in the Senate. Other PDP Senators too rose in agreement that it was indeed insulting to ask the “Chairman of the biggest party in Africa when he will give room for fresh air.”
The Senate President however applied wisdom in cooling the atmosphere. He called the three Senators from Kebbi and asked them one after the other whether the air in Kebbi State was fresh or not. He thereafter made a plea that as a mark of mutual respect among all the political parties in the Senate, Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed should be allowed to take a bow and go.
The Senate thereafter confirmed the appointments of all the nominees screened. They are Dr. Prof. Barth Nnaji, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed, Comrade Abba Moro, Dr. Sam Ortom, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Prof. Bassey Itah Ewah, Senator Idris Audu Umar and Erelu Olosola Obada.