President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday forwarded names of 42 career ambassadorial nominees to the senate for confirmation as ambassadors.
He also requested confirmation for six nominees for the boards of the Nigeria Law Reform Commission and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Commission (NDIC).
Request for the confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees was contained in a May 6 correspondence of the president to the senate president, Mr. Ahmad Lawan.
“In accordance with Section 171 (2) (1c) and subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I have the honour to forward for confirmation to the Senate the under listed 42 names of nominees for career ambassadors-designate,” stated the president.
The nominees are: C.O Nwachukwu (Abia); A. Kefas (Adamawa); R.U Brown (Akwa Ibom); G.A Odudigbo (Anambra); O.C Onowu (Anambra); Y.S Suleiman (Bauchi); E.S Agbana (Bayelsa); BBM Okoyen (Bayelsa); G.M Okoko (Benue); A.M Garba (Borno); M.I Bashir (Borno); M.O Abam (Cross River); A.E Allotey (Cross River); G E Edokpa (Edo); AN Madubuike (Enugu); Adamu Lamuwa (Gombe); Mr. Innocent A. Iwejuo (Imo); M.S Abubakar (Jigawa); Y.A Ahmed (Jigawa); S.D Umar (Kaduna); A Sule (Kano); G.Y Hamza (Kano).
Others are: N. Rimi (Katsina); L.S Ahmed-Remawa (Katsina); M. Manu (Kebbi); I.R. Ocheni (Kogi); I.A. Yusuf (Kogi); M. Abdulraheem (Kwara); W.A Adedeji (Lagos); A.U Ogah (Nasarawa); A.A Musa (Niger); N.A Kolo (Niger); S.O Olaniyan (Ogun); A.R Adejola (Ogun); O.E Awe (Ondo); O.O Aluko (Osun); I.A Alatishe (Osun); V.A Adeleke (Oyo); M.S Adamu (Plateau); l.N Charles (Rivers); Z.M lfu (Taraba); B.B Hamman (Yobe).
In another letter dated April 28 to the senagte president, Buhari sought confirmation for Professor Jumai Audi, as chairman of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission.
Also for confirmation are: Hon. Ebele Bernard Chima, commissioner (southeast); Bassey Dan Abia, commissioner (south-south); and Hon. Mohammed Ibraheem, commissioner (southwest).
Another letter dated May 4 sought for the senate’s confirmation of Diana Okonta (south-south); and Ya’ana Talib Yaro (northeast) as non-executive directors of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
President Buhari said the appointment of the nominees was done “in compliance with the provision of section 5(2)(4) of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation Act” to fill the existing vacancies.
Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, thereafter moved a motion relying on order 1(b) of the Senate Standing Rules for the upper chamber to expedite action on the president’s request for the confirmation of the nominees.
Lawan, in his ruling, underscored the need for the senate to “fast-track the process” to enable committees to screen the nominees.
He referred the confirmation request of the NDIC nominees to the senate committee on banking, insurance, and financial institutions, headed by Senator Uba Sani.
He also referred the list of career ambassadors to the Senate committee on foreign affairs, headed by Senator Mohammad Bulkachuwa, while the nominees for Law Reform Commission would be vetted by the senate committee on judiciary headed by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.
Lawan gave the three committees two weeks to screen all the nominees and report back to the Senate at plenary.
