Abba Kaka, a public policy analyst, has voiced strong disapproval regarding the Senate’s current approach to screening ambassadorial nominees. Specifically, Kaka criticized the practice of allowing nominees to ‘bow and go’ during the ongoing proceedings in the National Assembly’s red chamber.
During an appearance on Arise Television’s programme, ‘Prime Time,’ on Thursday, the 11th of December, 2025, Kaka expressed a lack of confidence in the screening process after observing the committee’s handling of the nominees.
He argued that the screening committee is not allocating sufficient time for the thorough assessment of each candidate and questioned the professionalism of the committee chairman.
Kaka particularly highlighted the need for rigorous scrutiny for controversial candidates, citing one nominee as an example: “Actually, there’s a lot of controversies surrounding Mr Reno Omokri. From his stance in the past, and the seeming U-turn that he made and saying that the President has forgiven him and things like that.”
The analyst emphasized that a detailed interrogation is essential, not only to satisfy the foreign governments where the nominees will be posted but also for the Nigerian public. He stressed the importance of nominees demonstrating consistency and integrity, especially when previous public stances have been controversial.
“But what needs to be done should be done, not only for the foreign governments that we don’t know where he’s going to yet, but for the Nigerian domestic audience as well.”
“These nominees, especially those controversial nominees, senators should have more time to interrogate them and find out where they actually stand.”
“Because if today you are this and tomorrow you are something else, then the issue of integrity and the issue of trust is at stake. And that is why the committee itself is supposed to do this job in the first place.”
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Kaka unequivocally condemned the expedient screening method, asserting that the quick approval risks compromising the nation’s reputation.
“The issue of ‘bow and go’ is wrong, because there’s a lot of controversy with some of these young nominees, and we need to know exactly who they are and what they want to do, because they are going to represent the image of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
He concluded by stressing that the lack of rigorous time spent on each candidate erodes trust, noting that both international partners and Nigerians are closely monitoring the committee’s activities.
“Seeing what happened in the Senate gave me less confidence. There’s a need to have more time on each nominee, because these foreign ambassadors are watching. They don’t know who is coming to where, but they are watching just as Nigerians are watching,” he said.