My leadership will not employ vendetta in screening President Buhari’s wise men - Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki

As the upper chamber awaits the ministerial nominees’ list from the presidency, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said on Tuesday that his leadership would not employ vendetta in the screening of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s wise men.

Saraki who stated this in his welcome address to his colleagues at plenary after their a six-week recess, expressed confidence that Nigeria’s economy would experience a turn around with the appointment of ministers.

He said, “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.

“It will also  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 and thoroughness. 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.”

But the senate spokesperson, Senator Dino Melaye, told journalists on Tuesday that the screening of ministerial nominees would no longer be business as usual in the eight senate.

He said, “We are eagerly waiting for the ministerial list from Mr President and we want to assure Nigerians that as soon as we get this ministerial list, we would start working on them expeditiously but diligently.

“We want to assure Nigerians that in our screening of the ministers,  it will not be business as usual. The era, days and years of take a bow and go are over.

“In the interest of Nigerians,  we would carry out due diligence to make sure that the right people are appointed as ministers of the federal republic of Nigeria without any political, religious,  ethnic, or personal consideration.”