Sen. Godswill Akpabio, ministerial nominee, says he is ready to work with President Muhammadu Buhari to take the country to the next level.

Akpabio gave this assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at the sidelines of the ministerial nominees screening at the National Assembly, Abuja on Wednesday.

He explained that the country is under siege by bandits and other hoodlums and expressed his willingness to assist President Buhari to take the country to the next level.

According to him, with his wealth of experience as a former governor, senator and lawyer, he has a lot to offer Nigerians.

“Nigerians should expect higher performance, commitment to service and dedication to the country.

“If you look at my record, I don’t want people to look at my lips, they should look at my track record, which is very impressive in terms of dedication to quality service”.

“We are going to work so hard to ensure that the president leaves a legacy to all Nigerians, not just in the area of fighting corruption, but we also want Nigerians to remember they once had a president dedicated to putting the country on the right track.

“Therefore, expect a lot of uncommon representation and uncommon performance that will culminate in uncommon achievements,’’ he said.

Akpabio, however, acknowledged the fact that they may not solve all problems, but they are determined to minimise the current problems plaguing the country.

Sen. George Akume, also a ministerial nominee from Benue said the next level of President Buhari’s administration will be more productive.

Akume noted that Buhari is committed to his agenda and as such has carefully put together a team to assist in achieving the goal of moving the country to the next level.

“I alone cannot make a difference, but together with my colleagues we will do our best for the country and Nigerians, and I believe when we are done, Nigeria will never be the same again positively”.

“Seven of us from the senate are part of the Federal Executive Council, and so I believe the process is meant to smooth the relationship between the executive and the legislative arm of the government,’’ he said.

On his part, Sen. Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, described the ministerial nominees screening process as elating to the senators and to himself.

Enang said it is a confirmation that President Buhari took time to select men of good standing, people he knows and the best for the next level.

“From the presentation by the distinguished members, who have been screened and the other nominees, it has been very revealing and that the president went to a great refinery and brought very refined men good enough for the next level of this country,’’ he said.

On the relationship between the legislature and the executive, Ita Enang noted that both arms of government are working together seamlessly.

He said, “this shows that the relationship is very good, and there were consultations between the executive and the legislative before the list was compiled and delivered.

“There is also an indication that the senate prepared in advance for the screening and nothing has taken them by surprise. The CVs of all the nominees we had them, we produced 120 copies, which were sent to the clerk of the senate to be distributed as each of the candidate was coming in”.

“You could see from the composure and dexterity displayed by the President of the Senate, and even the comportment and professionalism of the distinguished senators shows that Nigeria is actually different under the 9th senate and second term of the president,’’ he said.

The senate will reconvene on July 25 to continue with the screening of the ministerial nominees. (NAN)