See list 42 ministerial nominees facing risk of disqualification over non-declaration of asset

The point of order raised by Senator Lawrence Ewrudjiakpo from Bayelsa State with reference to Order 121 of the Senate rule on submission of certificate of asset declaration for eligibility to hold public office introduced a new twist into the screening of the 43 ministerial nominees President Muhammadu Buhari sent to the Senate for confirmation last Tuesday.

Order 121 stipulates that: “The Senate shall not consider the nomination of any person who has occupied any office contained in part 1 of the 5th Schedule of the constitution prior to his nomination unless there is written evidence that he has declared his assets and liabilities as required by Section13 of Part 1 of the 5th Schedule to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Such declaration shall be required for scrutiny by the Senate.”

The nominees list includes:

Uchechukwu Oga (Abia)
Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa)
Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom)
Chris Ngige (Anambra)
Sharon Ikeazor (Anambra)
Adamu Adamu (Bauchi)
Mariam Katagum (Bauchi)
Timi Sylva (Bayelsa)
George Akume (Benue)
Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Borno)
Goddy Agba (Cross Rivers)
Festus Keyamo (Delta)
Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi)
Osagie Enakhire (Edo)
Clement Agba (Edo)
Adeniyi Adebayo (Ekiti)
Geofrey Onyeama (Enugu)
Ali Issa Pantami (Gombe)
Emeka Nwajuba (Imo)
Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa)
Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna)
Mohammed Mahmoud (Kaduna)
Sabo Nanono (Kano)
Bashir Salihi Magashi (Kano)
Hadi Sirika (Katsina)
Abubakar Malami (Kebbi)
Ramatu Tijani (Kogi)
Lai Mohammed (Kwara)
Gbemisola Saraki (Kwara)
Raji Fashola (Lagos)
Nimbe Mamora (Lagos)
Muhammed Abdullahi (Nasarawa)
Zubairu Dada (Niger)
Olamilekan Adegbite (Ogun)
Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo)
Rauf Aregbesola (Osun)
Sunday Dare (Oyo)
Pauline Tallen (Plateau)
Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)
Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi (Sokoto)
Saleh Mamman (Taraba)
Abubakar Aliyu (Yobe)
Sadiya Umar Farouk (Zamfara)
They were either former governors, ministers, senators, head of parastatals or board members of federal agencies. The Senate certified only one of the 43 nominees to have fulfilled the constitutional requirements.

Senator Ewrudjiakpo in his Point of Order emphasized: “Mine is an appeal to say that all the nominees that have appeared before us, very few of them have provided evidence of declaration of assets. I move that the National Assembly liaison should facilitate their submission of such declaration because before we were sworn in, we declared our assets.

“I want to suggest that the Senate takes this notice and ask them before we go into the confirmation stage to submit such requirement.”

The Senator argued: “It is a breach of the constitution. If we are fighting corruption, we must be seen to be doing so. We should know what they are worth before coming to office and what they are worth at the end of their tenure.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan upheld the Point of Order, cautioning that failure to comply with the constitutional prescription, the ministerial nominee will be disqualified from confirmation.