World Bank Managing Director Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will face the Senate today for screening as a would-be minister, sources said yesterday.
The former Finance Minister, who helped negotiate debt relief in 2005, is expected to return to her old position, but with more powers over economic management, sources close to the negotiations said.
“She will appear before the Senate tomorrow as her name has already been sent to the Senate President’s office,” a presidential source told Reuters.
The State Security Service (SSS) gave Mrs Okonjo-Iweala clearance to be screened by lawmakers after a meeting at SSS offices in Abuja yesterday, another source said.
The intrigues over ministerial nominees are yet to stop. President met with the Vice President Namadi Sambo and other members of the Appointment Committee at the Villa.
The power game in Kaduna State has led to the dropping of a hitherto cleared nominee, Yusuf Hamisu Mai Rago for the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed.
The President met with the VP and others for hours on issues raised on some ministerial nominees from Taraba, Borno and the Northeast.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We still have a serious challenge in Taraba over the preferred ministerial nominee, Dr. Obadia Ando from Takum, who has been the choice of a former Minister of Defence Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma.
“Some stalwarts of the PDP opposed the return of Ando, a former Minister of Water Resources, for allegedly working with the opposition during the April general elections.
“They claimed that giving Ando a ministerial appointment will amount to condoning anti-party activities.
“The PDP leadership and Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai are in favour of a Deputy Director in the National Assembly, David Kente from Wukari, to replace Ando.
“In Borno, some party leaders are just opposed to Bukkar Tijjani for no justifiable reasons. Some of them alleged that he has never been committed to PDP’s cause as expected.
“On the nominee from the Northeast, the battle for the slot is between Adamawa and Gombe states.
“While some PDP leaders are still mounting pressure on the President to consider the immediate past Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong from Adamawa State, Gombe PDP leadership is seeking the slot with the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Rufai Alkali, as a leading contender.”
Rago was dropped following the tension his choice generated in the state, it was learnt.
Another source said: “The initial nomination of Mai Rago hurt the political camp of ex-Governor Ahmed Maikarfi, who some party leaders wanted as Kaduna State’s representative in the cabinet.
“The choice of Mai Rago degenerated to the extent that it was about to rekindle the old rivalry between the Vice-President and Makarfi.
“With the influence of Makarfi in the Senate, the government got security reports that Mai Rago may not scale through the screening hurdles.
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