Former governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State and ex-lawmakers Abubakar Kyari, John Eno, Bello Mohammed Goroyo and Nkiruka Onyejiocha are among the ministerial nominees let through the Senate screening exercise without screening.

On Monday, the Senate commenced screening of the 29 ministerial nominees presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and while the exercise was designed to assess the eligibility of all nominees, FIJ observed that nominees who had previously held public offices were asked to take a bow with minimal to non-existent scrutiny of their credentials and portfolio, while those with no prior public service experience were subjected to more scrutiny.

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During Wike’s appearance, for instance, without asking any questions, the Senate President encouraged him to take a bow, saying, “I don’t think there’s anybody here who is opposed to this nominee.” After the former governor gave a recap of his resume, both the Senate President and senators representing Rivers State lauded his achievements and passion for public service.

This was in stark contrast to Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev’s screening, which came after Wike’s. Utsev’s age, early education and professional expertise came under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, ex-lawmaker Kyari, who took the stand after Utsev was asked to take a bow by the Senate President almost immediately he was called upon.

At the time of filing this report, only 13 nominees had been screened, and of the 13, only four were quizzed about their past experiences and capacity to serve in the president’s cabinet.

Nominees who benefited from previous political positions include former legislators Sani Danladi and Olubunmi Ojo and Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, a former ambassador to Germany.