Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has described the ongoing ministerial screening as a charade.
To this end, Frank, in a statement Tuesday called for the immediate halt of the ongoing screening exercise by the Senate.
He emphasised that the ongoing ministerial screening in the National Assembly has been nothing short of a national shame and disgrace orchestrated and supervised by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Frank noted that it was clear from the foregoing in the red chamber as to the direction of the country under the APC-led government.
He said: “The ongoing screening of ministerial nominees is a joke taken too far and an insult to the sensibilities of reasonable Nigerians who are aghast as to the shambolic routine of ‘take a bow and go’ without any cross-examination as to the pedigree and competence of these individuals nominated to serve the country.
“What is more amusing is the fact that this charade of an exercise is being supervised by a Senate President who is currently being investigated for various corrupt practices, and therefore is of no obligation in ensuring that the right processes of due diligence is carried out on these individuals to the benefit of the country at large.
“Perhaps it will be safe to opine that even if a known kidnapper or criminal is sent to the National Assembly for clearance, he will most likely be cleared as the Senate President seems to be highly complacent and compromised in this regard.”
Frank stressed that it was highly regrettable that nominees, who have pending corruption cases and those who have appeared with questionable certificates and discrepancies in their resume, are being told to bow and go without any probing questions as to their sincerity of purpose, notwithstanding the magnitude of the exercise.
“Therefore, I urge the Senate President to discontinue the screening on live television and stop the wastage of tax-payers monies to continue with this show of shame on national television,” he said.
Frank also noted that the recent appointment of Jim Obazee as a Special Investigator to probe the activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was another waste of time, saying it only beckons serial witch-hunt of opposition members.
He added that it was clear that there was no credibility, zeal or reputation from the ruling party to fight corruption.
According to him, “Mr President must be aware that since he is only holding the Commonwealth of the nation albeit temporarily, every decision concerning the Nigerian state must be done with utmost decorum and sincerity to the Nigerian people. The world is watching diligently and history will hold us accountable for our actions and inaction.”
