Public Policy Analyst and Development Expert, Abba Kaka, has warned that the Senate’s screening of President Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees has “given less confidence” to Nigerians, stressing that controversial nominees such as Reno Omokri must be thoroughly interrogated rather than hurried through the process.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, Kaka said the heated confrontation between Senators Ali Ndume and Adams Oshiomhole during Omokri’s screening only reinforced concerns about poor procedure, weak leadership in the committee, and a Senate unwilling to challenge the executive.
Responding to Senator Oshiomhole’s objections during the screening, Kaka said:
“Actually, there’s a lot of controversies surrounding Mr Omokri — from his stance in the past to the seeming U-turn he made, saying the president has forgiven him. What needs to be done, not only for the foreign governments where he may be posted but also for the Nigerian domestic audience, is that these nominees, especially the controversial ones, should be properly interrogated to know exactly where they stand.”
He emphasised that integrity concerns around shifting political loyalties cannot be ignored:
“If today you are this and tomorrow you are something else, there’s the issue of integrity, the issue of trust, and the issue of transparency. And that is why the committee is supposed to do this job in the first place.”
Kaka faulted Senator Ndume’s defence of the traditional “bow and go”, insisting it is unacceptable given the sensitivity of the positions being filled:
“Senator Ndume’s position that it should be bow and go is wrong. Some of these nominees are young, controversial, and have to be properly questioned. They are going to represent the image of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Asked whether the screening boosted confidence in the Senate’s vetting process, Kaka said:
“It gave me less confidence. What I need to see is more time spent on each nominee. These foreign ambassadors are watching, and Nigerians are watching.”
He stressed that delays in replacing ambassadors—more than two and a half years—had already harmed Nigeria’s foreign engagements.
“If we had professional and respected diplomats in Washington, D.C., the crisis of the Trump administration and the issue of genocide allegations would have been handled professionally. Instead, a few people smeared the name of the country.”
Kaka issued a blunt assessment of the 10th Senate:
“Actually, this particular Senate — I don’t think public opinion matters to them. And I don’t see any nominee being rejected the way things are going. Whatever the president sends, the president gets. Public opinion is supposed to guide their decisions, but this Senate is unfortunately not that type.”
He said the behaviour of some senators during the screening further exposed the institution’s weaknesses:
“The Senate needs to sit up. The Senate needs to work for Nigeria — and that we are not seeing. What we are seeing is that anything that comes, they don’t want to deal with it professionally. Their constituencies are looking at them.”
Kaka also referenced a moment during Omokri’s appearance:
“There was a little drama when Reno Omokri came to sit down. Senator Natasha was right there — she just quietly moved to the next chair. You understand why she’s doing that from their interactions in the past. But this is a national issue. These nominees will represent the president abroad.”
He warned that some nominees face serious integrity questions:
“You don’t want to send people who are very controversial or have baggage. Some even have criminal or EFCC cases. I am surprised some of them made the list. The Senate must interrogate them properly because foreign missions will do their own checks whether we do ours or not.”
Kaka concluded by insisting the National Assembly must stop rubber-stamping executive lists and reclaim its constitutional oversight role:
“These are national debates. These nominees will represent Nigeria. The Senate has to sit up and work for the country. We are not seeing professionalism, and Nigerians are watching.”
Boluwatife Enome
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