Onuesoke Faults Nomination of Ministers, Commissioners Without Portfolios

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has faulted President Bola Tinubu and governors’ nomination of  ministers or commissioners for legislative screening without attaching portfolio to them.

The former governorship aspirant in Delta State at a press conference in Warri,yesterday, described the action as outdated, noting that it  was retrogressive and no longer in vogue in developed climes.

He  emphasised the fact that portfolios were not assigned to the nominees was a drawback, making the screening process a blind one and wondered how a person could be screened for competence without knowing his intended assignment.

“If we are as serious as our problems deserve, the prospective ministers and their respective ministries ought to be known a few weeks after the results of the presidential election.

“It is an unusual practice and I am not sure it is still done in any serious democracy that appoints ministers and send them for clearance without assigning portfolios to them. This is a culture that we have continued to practice in Nigeria.

“In the United States, those who are nominated already know their portfolios. You do not appoint someone before allocating the portfolio. I do not know where we got this retrogressive idea.  The lawmakers should know which ministry a nominee is going to so that their questions will be tailored to the assignment in that ministry,” he said.