What Saraki Told Senators About Buhari’s Ministerial List

Nigeria's Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has urged members of the Red chamber to ensure that the long-awaited ministerial list of President Muhammadu Buhari is treated with urgency, when it is eventually submitted by the President Buhari this week.

Saraki, whose led Senate resumed on Tuesday, after its 4th recess in 110 days of its existence, in his Resumption Address, expressed optimism that the presence of ministers will create the space for greater policy engagement between the legislative and executive arms of government, adding that it will also enable the Senate to begin to respond in a more systematic manner to the various economic and social challenges confronting the nation.

The full text of the address tweeted by the Senate President via his Twitter handle, @bukolasaraki read in part: “As we await the list of ministerial nominees this week, I believe the presence of ministers will create the space for greater policy engagement with the Executive Arm of government and enable us to begin to respond in a more systematic manner to the various economic and social challenges before us, especially through our various Committees that will also be constituted soon.

“On this note, I want to urge you all my colleagues to ensure that what is uppermost in our minds as we begin the constitutional task of screening of ministerial nominees is the overall interest of our country, informed by the enormity and the urgency of the challenges before us.

“Once the list is submitted, let us ensure that we treat it with dispatch. We must not be held down by unnecessary politicking. The enormity of our national challenges at this time does not give room for pettiness or politics of vendetta.”