Former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin and currently representing Oyo Central at the Senate has said it was unnecessary to subject former governors and those who have served in the Senate to what he called painful screening.
He said this is because they deserve respect and honour, having been entrusted with huge responsibilities in the past.
The screening of ministerial nominees, including some former governors and senators by the Ninth Senate has generated mixed reactions.
Some Nigerians have criticized the current Senate for allegedly being an “executive rubber stamp” on 17 ministerial nominees.
The 17 ministerial nominees were said to have been treated with special favour when they were asked to take a bow and go, without passing through thorough screening, as others.
Folarin said unknown to many, the Senate has its internal workings, rules and traditions.
Addressing reporters at the weekend in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at a “thank you party” he organised for his constituents on his electoral victory, the former Senate Leader said the Upper Chamber under Lawan has “distinguished Nigerians who know what they are doing”.
He said: “We have our traditions. If you are a former member of the National Assembly, it is our tradition to allow you to bow and go.
“Nigerians may not like it but that is the way it is. If you have been a governor and you come to the National Assembly for clearance, we must respect you because you have been entrusted with a huge responsibility before.
“What do we ask a governor? Again, in some cases, once they talk for about five minutes, you will know what they have in stock. You don’t have to keep people for about one hour before you know you have screened them. If you screen somebody for five minutes, you will know if the person is sound or not.”
Folarin said those the Senate felt needed to be quizzed were quizzed, adding: “Take, as an instance, the nominee from Oyo State, Sunday Dare, was screened. We grilled him. This is because at the level he had operated, he had been screened by the committee of the Senate for his position as Executive Commissioner of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). I wanted to showcase what we have in Oyo State to the whole world. That was why I invited my colleagues to ask him questions.
“Also, a lot of them are returning and they had been screened four years ago. What do you want to ask them again? In the case of the Attorney General, we screened him very well; didn’t we?”
Credit: The Nation
