Vetting of deputy ministerial nominees will be ‘butubutu’; we will not spare them – Afenyo-Markin

The Minority Leader and Ranking Member on the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has served notice of an intense grilling exercise during the upcoming vetting of deputy ministerial nominees.

The committee is set to commence the second phase of vetting for President John Dramani Mahama’s deputy ministerial nominees from Monday, February 24, to Thursday, February 27, 2025.

This follows the initial round of vetting sessions held earlier in January 2025, during which several sector ministers as well as regional ministerial nominees underwent rigorous scrutiny by the committee.

The vetting process is a constitutional requirement to ensure that nominees are qualified, competent, and fit to hold public office.

Speaking in an interview on Adom TV, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who is known for subjecting nominees to serious grilling, urged the nominees to come before the committee well-prepared to avoid any embarrassment.

“I look at their CVs, so when coming, nominees should review their CVs thoroughly. If you know you have a questionable certificate, go and do your homework well because we will question it. If you say you have a first degree, we will question which institution awarded it. If you say you have a master’s degree, we will question that as well. Don’t you realize that I even help them? Sometimes I give them the opportunity to correct their mistakes.

“All I am saying is that Monday will be butubutu [to wit, an intense grilling experience]. We will hold them to account; there are no friends in Lagos. On Monday, the first set should come prepared. We, the minority, are not going to spare them,” Afenyo-Markin stated.

On day one, the committee is scheduled to vet the Deputy Minister-designate for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, Yussif Issaka Jajah; the Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah; the Deputy Minister-designate for Housing and Water Resources, Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui; and Ernest Brogya Genfi for the Ministry of Defence.