The Nigerian senate has postponed the confirmation screening of President Muhammadu Buhari’s remaining 18 ministerial nominees till next week.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki broke the news on Twitter today, saying the screening will continue on Tuesday 20 October.

With 18 Ministers confirmed, screening of #Ministerialnominees sent to @NGRSenate by President @MBuhari will continue Tuesday 20/10/2015

— Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) October 15, 2015

Eighteen of the nominees were  confirmed on Wednesday.

The Senate had scheduled further hearing till Thursday, but there were reports of some nominees not submitting their CVs on time.  This applies to the 15 nominees named by the President on Tuesday 13 October. There was also the case of a nominee, Ahmed Ibeto, former deputy governor of Niger state, who was replaced by a former member of the House of Representatives, Bawa Bwari.

Among the names on the older list, whose screening were held up are lawyer, Adebayo Shittu from Oyo State and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.  Both of them were slated to face the Senate yesterday.

The Senate had postponed Shittu’s appearance for today because it declared time had run out Wednesday. Plenary ran outside 5pm yesterday.

Amaechi could not be screened because a senate committee on ethics looking into petitions of gross financial misconduct sent against him had not finished its report.

Again the committee was expected to submit its report on Thursday.

So far, the ministers confirmed include Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Kayode Fayemi, Amina Mohammed, Raji Fashola, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Abubakar Malami, General Abdulrahman Dambazau, Senator Hadi Sirika.

The other ministers-designate are Senator Udoma Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom), Dr. Osagie Ehanire (Edo),  Mr. Suleiman Hussaini Adamu, Mr. Ibrahim Usman Jibrin, Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu,  Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Mr. Solomon Dalong.

The nominees that will now be screened from Tuesday apart from Shittu and Amaechi are: Prof Anthony Onwuka (Imo) Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu), Dan Ali (Zamfara), Barr James Ocholi (Kogi), Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna), Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia), Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa), Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Borno), Aisha Abubakar, Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa), Adamu Adamu (Bauchi)Professor Isaac Adewole (Osun), Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger), Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River), Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim- (Yobe) and Claudius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo).