The Senate will today start screening of ministerial nominees based on a list submitted to it by Nigerian President MR.Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said that

The senators yesterday unveiled the names of 34 nominees forwarded by the presidency but the name of a former minister and World Bank managing director, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was touted as been in line for appointment as the minister of finance, was conspicuously missing from the list.

The list, as read out by the Senate president, MR.David Mark, at the beginning of plenary on Tuesday, includes names of the former petroleum minister, Deziani Alison-Madueke, former finance minister, Olusegun Aganga, and 32 others, leaving out nominees from 4 states, Kaduna, Ondo, Plateau States And Cross River as well the name of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala.

It is not clear why the name of the World Bank managing director, who is also a former Nigerian finance minister, is missing from the list but sources in government, who want to stay anonymous, insist government officials are still in touch with Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, about her returning to government to take overall charge of the economy for the freshly inaugurated administration.

A nominee from her home TOWN , ABIA STATE, Emeka Nwogu, is, however, on the list. He is the former labour minister.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, who is 57, became in 2003, Nigeria’s first female finance minister and in June 2006, Nigeria first female foreign minister. It was believed that President Jonathan’s government.she would bring her expertise to manage Nigeria’s economy and strengthen 

The ministerial list, as sent by the president, has 34 names from 32 states only. Benue and Ogun states, home to the Senate president, David Mark, and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, have two nominees each on the 34-man list.

Mr Ndoma-Egba, who spoke at a news conference after a closed-door meeting of the Senate, said the Senate will hasten the screening process to enable the president constitute his cabinet on time.

The Senate Majority Leader said the Senate had no reason to delay the screening.

“We will begin the process tomorrow to enable The Mr. President constitute his cabinet,” he said, adding that “the Senate is ready for the screening of the nominees.”

Mr Ndoma-Egba also insinuated that the Senate may discard the traditional “bow-and-go” screening formula of familiar names, and will instead do a more detailed screening.

He said the current mood of the Senate indicates the lawmakers would conduct a “detailed” screening of the ministers, even though the names do not have portfolios attached to them, adding that part of the discussion at the closed door meeting was to bring the new senators up to speed on the modalities of screening and that “every nominee will be subjected to the same grid.”

According to Mr Ndoma -Egba, the Senate also expects the president to send a list of a second batch of nominees, considering that the constitution provides that each state must have a minister.