The Senate on Wednesday referred President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the confirmation of the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Service Chiefs to its Joint Committee on Defence, Army, Airforce and Navy for screening.
Buhari had in a letter to the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, dated 27th January 2021, said that the screening was being sought in furtherance of Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A.20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
The new Service Chiefs to be screened are: Major General Lucky Irabor, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo and Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao as Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff, respectively.
Also referred was the President’s request for the confirmation of General Abayomi Olonisakin (Rtd); Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai (Rtd); Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas (Rtd); Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar(Rtd); and Air Vice Marshal Muhammad S. Usman (Rtd) as Non-Career Ambassador-Designate to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, while referring the nomination of Barr. Victor Chinemerem Muruako for appointment as Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission to the Committee on Finance; also referred the nomination of Larry Obinna Chukwu as Commissioner for the Nigerian Law Reform to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The Committees were all given two weeks to report back to the Senate.
Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Dr. Lawan, has appealed to President Buhari to forward the nomination of an indigene from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a non-career ambassador to the upper chamber for screening and confirmation.
Lawan made the appeal on Wednesday during plenary following a protest on the floor by Senator representing FCT, Philip Aduda, over the continuous exclusion of a nominee from the FCT in previous nominations forwarded by President Buhari.
Rising under Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rules, Senator Aduda said, “Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, I did yesterday raise some issues with you, Your Excellency, about the issue of the appointment of ambassadors.
“Your Excellency, I’ve consistently mentioned that before now we used to have a non-career ambassador for the FCT.
“But when the first list came, the FCT was omitted. The second list came, the FCT was omitted; and then we have another opportunity where the FCT is supposed to be represented but it has still been omitted.
“Your Excellency, this gives us worry in the FCT, because it is showing that maybe it is Federal Character, or something is wrong somewhere.
“Mr. President, we know that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the power to hire and fire, but Mr. President, we urge you as our leader and Speaker of the people of the FCT, and indeed, the President, who incidentally by the Constitution – Section 299 – happens to be the Governor of the FCT, that in making nominations, he should look at us and please grant us our heart desire which is to have a non-career ambassador for the FCT.
“Indeed, the opportunity has come again, when some ambassadorial nominees have been submitted, and the Committee will be doing its work very soon.
“We want to crave the indulgence of this Senate, and it is a constitutional matter. Mr. President, my Distinguished Colleagues, here I come again today with the hope that we will get support from our State House of Assembly, which is the National Assembly, and indeed the Senate with you as Chairman, to intervene in this matter and ensure that the people of the FCT have a non-career ambassador.”
In his response, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, appealed to President Buhari to send in a nomination for the FCT in the fifth non-career ambassadors list to be forwarded to the National Assembly for screening and confirmation.
Lawan said, “As speaker of the FCT House of Assembly and as members of the FCT House of Assembly, we are appealing to the Executive to send the nomination of a non-career ambassadorial nominee for the FCT in the fifth and final phase.”
