Bomb Blast Halts Security Screening of Ministerial Nominees

This Day

18 June 2011

Bomb Blast Halts Security Screening of Ministerial Nominees

Thursday’s bomb blast at the Louis Edet House, Police Headquarters, Abuja, has altered the schedule of the State Security Service’s panel screening prospective ministers.

Also, the blast halted the visit of many prospective ministers to the police headquarters, after leaving the SSS, where they were to undergo another round of security screening.

The police are to ascertain among other things that the would-be ministers do not have any negative report with the force.

THISDAY learnt the security screening which had begun on Wednesday with some of the old cabinet members slated to be reappointed has now been shifted to Monday, June 20.

According to sources, the SSS panel was set for the screening of the extra nine of the would-be ministers when the news of the bomb blast got to the panel and stopped it from continuing its work.

It was gathered that President Goodluck Jonathan had dispatched nine more names to the SSS to bring to 20 names of ministerial nominees for screening by the security panel.

A source who spoke to THISDAY said, “When we got the news of the bomb blast at the police force headquarters, everything we had planned as regards the screening of the ministerial nominees had to be put on hold till probably Monday next week”.

Prospective ministers are to pass security test before their names are forwarded to the Senate for ratification. Eleven former ministers were said to have been screened by SSS as at Wednesday.

Some of the former ministers sighted at the SSS headquarters otherwise known as the ‘Yellow House’ included former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; former Minister for the Federal Capital Territory and his former Minister of State, Senator Bala Mohammed and Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd); former Minister of Defence, Prince Adetokunboh Kayode, and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe.

Others were former Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufa’I; former Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, his former Health counterpart, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu and former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke.