A routine ambassadorial screening turned dramatic on Wednesday when one of President Bola Tinubu’s career nominees, Emmanuel Adeyemi, stumbled over a basic question many senators considered fundamental: naming all three senators from his home State of Ekiti.
Adeyemi, currently a Deputy Director in the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had dazzled the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs with an impressive résumé spanning Hong Kong and France, where he earned a Ph.D.
But the atmosphere shifted the moment he attempted to pay tribute to “the two senators from my State.”
He confidently mentioned Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and Senator Yemi Adaramodu, then froze.
Prodded to name the third senator, Adeyemi appeared startled, prompting senators to remind him that three lawmakers represent each State.
As a member of his delegation scrambled to “Google” the name of the third senator – Senator Cyril Fasuyi – the panel expressed outrage.
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) condemned the lapse, describing it as emblematic of a troubling decline among public office nominees.