It was a busy week in Nigeria’s Senate. From Tuesday to Friday, the Red Chamber turned into a beehive of screening activities as several nominees appeared before committees to secure their confirmations.
Committee rooms buzzed with movement, whispers, and nods, mostly of approval, rarely of interrogation. As expected, most of the sessions carried the usual Nigerian National Assembly tone: a touch of formality, a splash of theatre, and a truckload of predictability.
The Committee on the South South Development Commission (SSDC) kicked off the week’s lineup. On paper, the screening of nominees for the newly proposed interventionist commission should have been rigorous, considering its importance to the oil-producing region. But of course, in reality, it was a parade of pledges, not probing.
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Leading the SSDC nominees, Usoro Offiong Akpabio, nominated as Managing Director, also spoke of bringing development to the South South.
Other board nominees included Rt. Hon. Larry Odey (Cross River), Charles Zuofa (Bayelsa), Dr. Nkereuwem Ebong (Akwa Ibom), Engr. Chika Chinedu (Rivers), and Barr. Femi Oise (Edo), among others.
To balance regional representation, names like Tijani Yahaya Kaura, Tabitha Iliya Sallah, Yusuf Rasaq Amao and Joseph Mmamal were also added to the board from other geopolitical zones.
The atmosphere was relaxed. Senators listened, nodded occasionally, and congratulated nominees mid-session. No one expected a rejection, and none came.
The highlight was the ritual of promises to bring harmony, progress, and peace to the South South. But we all knew what it was: the commission was already politically distributed before the names were sent to the Senate.
Next up was the Committee on the South West Development Commission (SWDC), another interventionist structure pushed through the National Assembly this year.
It followed the same template. Dr. Charles Akanji Akinola (Osun) as Managing Director. A political veteran, the screening was more of a welcome-back session than a vetting.
The list included a cast of technocrats and politicians: Bolaji Idris Ariyo (Lagos), Joseph Akin Olugbenga (Ekiti), Hon. Scholastica Omoworare (Osun), Oluwamuyiwa Olabimtan (Ogun), Dr. Adewinle Martins (Ondo), and Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa (Oyo).
Even the executive directors were already known to insiders: Olusegun Joshua Olufehinti, Fatai Ibikunle, Tele Ogunjobi, and Hon. Funmilayo Tejuosho.
Nobody dared to ask about track records or specifics. It was confirmation by default.
And then came the real drama: the Ad-hoc Committee on Emergency Rule in Rivers State, chaired by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.
It was a two-day screening carnival of nominees into key state institutions: the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the Civil Service Commission, and the Local Government Service Commission.
Day one saw the screening of Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey, nominated as Chairman of RSIEC, alongside members like Mr. Lezaasi Torbira, Prof. Arthur Nwafor, Prof. Godfrey Woke, Dr. (Mrs.) Olive Bruce, Prof. Chidi Halliday, and Prof. (Dame) Joyce Akaniwor.
It was going well until Senator Adamu Aliero raised a red flag: Was Dr. Odey, a non-indigene, eligible to chair the state’s electoral body under Rivers law? The room fell into a momentary pause.
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There was no conclusive answer. Just murmurs and a vague commitment to “look into it.”
On the second day, the drama escalated. One of the nominees for the Civil Service Commission had no certificate to present. Her excuse? She was robbed, and her academic documents were stolen along with other valuables.
She didn’t bother to retrieve them from her school. Instead, she swore an affidavit and began a degree program in a foreign school, which, according to her, turned out to be a scam. She’s now enrolled in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to earn a new degree.
One would expect someone nominated for such an important role to have their academic history intact, or at least make efforts to revalidate it. But no, affidavits are the new certificates in our beloved country.
Well, the excuse was that the Constitution states that all that is needed to occupy a politically appointed office is a primary School Leaving Certificate.
And just as we were wrapping our heads around that, a nominee for the Local Government Service Commission, Ezreal Amadi, took it a step further.
Asked what value he would bring, Amadi confidently declared that he would “fight for the agency spiritually.” His response stunned the room.
Chairman Bamidele tried to do a quick PR spin: “What he meant was he’ll be diligent in his work and also pray for the success of the agency.”
But Amadi wasn’t backing down. “Yes,” he affirmed, “I’ll pray and also work.”
In that moment, Nigeria’s secular governance and religious fervor collided comically.
Other members screened for the Local Government Service Commission included Mr. Linus Nwandem, Lady Christabel George-Didia, Dr. Tonye Willie-Pepple, Richard Ewoh, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ofik (Rtd.), and Sammy Apiafi.
By Thursday, the sessions ended with a budget defence by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the Sole administrator himself.
The screenings were over; everyone had smiled for the cameras.
Everyone had made their promises. Yet, as we await the Senate’s official confirmation this week, one question lingers: Will the Red Chamber confirm everyone, even those whose eligibility is shaky at best?
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Given the Senate’s track record, the answer is predictable. But Nigerians are watching. And whether it’s a nominee with no certificate or one armed with spiritual powers, the burden of public trust weighs heavily, at least, it should.
So as the chamber resumes on Tuesday, all fingers are crossed. Will there be surprises? Or will it be business as usual, where performance takes the back seat and political loyalty sits in the front row?
Only time will tell. But if this week was anything to go by, we already know how this movie ends.
