The 10th Senate, witnessed a rowdy session over the screening of a ministerial nominee, Festus Keyamo, on Monday.
Recall that Keyamo, a former Minister of State for Labour and Employment under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, was scheduled to appear at the National Assembly (NASS) for ministerial screening under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
But during his appearance, events went haywire when Darlington Nwokocha, lawmaker representing Abia Central under the Labour Party, moved the motion requesting the suspension of the nominee’s screening.
The senator recalled how Keyamo insulted the lawmakers from both chambers during his tenure as a minister.
NWokocha also brought to Keyamo’s remembrance, corruption charges levelled against him and how he ignored NASS summons in 2020 over the employment scheme of 774,000 Nigerians recruited for the special public works programme.
“I move that we suspend forthwith screening of the nomination and wait until when this is cleared,” he said.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, lawmaker representing Abia South under the All Progressives Grand Alliance Party seconded the motion.
The Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, however put the motion to a voice vote after the first, and this time, the lawmakers responded in a disorderly manner, collectively shouting “no” and “yes.”
This argument made some lawmakers call for division, a decision which once taken might water down the power of the Senate President.
Note that the division is a parliamentary term that connotes that lawmakers physically take sides with any of the votes either in favour of Yay or Nay.
The Senate President who was visibly troubled, then stood up and called for order.
According to the Senate Standing Orders, when the Senate President stands, every other lawmaker must sit.
Having restored order in the house, Akpabio called for a closed-door session and the lawmakers adjourned the plenary till 3:30 pm.
In April 2020, the Federal Government approved the recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians on a special public works programme, with the mandate of 1,000 people per Local Government Area.
The programme was implemented by the National Directorate of Employment as part of the fiscal stimulus measures adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project led to a brawl between Keyamo and the National Assembly as he was forced to leave the Senate after he refused to settle the issue behind closed doors when he appeared at the Red Chamber in June 2020
At the time, the lawmakers alleged that their constituents did not benefit from the scheme.
However, Keyamo responded by accusing the lawmakers of trying to blackmail him and hijack the programme, adding that the “beneficiaries are not from the moon.”
This and other infractions allegedly committed by Keyamo during his time as minister of State for Labour and Employment have been a major cause of friction between the nominee and the lawmakers.
