… as FCT protests non-inclusion
President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded the names of 46 nominees as non-career ambassadors from 35 states for confirmation by the Senate.
In a letter addressed to the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, read on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, he asked for expeditious screening of the nominees.
Among the nominees nominated by the President include former lawmaker, Olorunibe Mamora (Lagos), former deputy governor, Pauline Tallen (Plateau), Mohammed Ibeto, who was a former deputy governor from Niger State and formerly nominated as minister before his nomination was withdrawn in 2015.
Also nominated are former Supreme Court Justice, George Adesola Oguntade (Lagos), Modupe Irele (Lagos), Uzoma E. Emenike (Abia), Clifford Zirra (Adamawa), Godwin G. Umo (Akwa Ibom), Christopher Okeke (Anambra), Yusuf Tuggar (Bauchi), Baba Madugu (Bauchi), Stanley Diriyai (Bayelsa), Enyantu Ifenne (Benue), Mohammed Hayatuddeen (Borno) and Etubom Asuquo (Cross River).
Others are: Francis Efeduma (Delta), Jonah Odo (Ebonyi), Uyagwe Igbe (Edo), Ayodele Ayodeji (Ekiti), Chris Eze (Enugu), Suleiman Hassan (Gombe), Amin Muhammad Dalhatu (Jigawa), Muhammad Yaro (Kaduna), Deborah Iliya (Kaduna), D. Abduikadir (Kano), Haruna Ungogo (Kano), lsa Dodo (Katsina), Usman Bugaje (Katsina), Tijjani Bande (Kebbi), Y. O. Aliu (Kogi), Nuruddeen Mohamed (Kwara), Mohamed G. Yisa (Kwara).
Also submitted are Musa Ilu Muhammad (Nasarawa), Mohammed Ibeto (Niger), Ade Asekun (Ogun), Sola Iji (Ondo), Adegboyega Ogunwusi (Osun), Ashimiyu Olaniyi (Rtd) (Osun), Haruna Bawa Abduuahi (Plateau), Orji Ngofa (Rivers), Justice Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor (Rivers), Jamila Ahmadu-Suka (Sokoto), Kabiru Umar (Sokoto), Mustapha Jaji (Taraba), Goni Modu Zanna Bura (Yobe), Garba Gajam (Zamfara) and Abdul|ahi Uba Garbasi (Zamfara).
In a related development the senator representing FCT, Philip Aduda, has raised a Point of Order challenging President Muhammadu Buhari for not nominating a native of FCT as non-career Ambassador in the list of 46 non-career ambassadors sent to the Senate.
Aduda referred the Senate to Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution that states that “FCT shall be treated as if it is one of the states in Nigeria and that the President is the Governor of the Territory with the executive ministers of the federation serving as commissioners of the FCT while the National Assembly shall serve as the state House of Assembly for FCT”
Saraki noted the Point of Order by the senator and promised to communicate back to the Executive for correction.
Lagos State had the highest number of nomination with three nominees, while Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Bauchi, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Zamfara had two nominees each. Other states nominated had one nominee each, however, Imo and FCT did not have any nominees.