The Nigerian Senate, Tuesday, rejected the 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari for legislative approval.
Huhuonline.com gathered that the decision to reject the 46 non-career nominees stem from a report submitted to that effect by the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In the report, the committee pointed out that it discovered while screening the non-careers nominees that the imbalance observed in the list of career nominees was not corrected in the non-career list.
Chairman of the committee, Chairman, Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu (APC-Oyo), who read the report, said over 250 petitions were received from aggrieved Nigerians over the imbalance.
In her words, some of the petitioners pointed out that in the first list, states like Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Plateau had no nominees and that it was not addressed in the non-career nominees’ list.
“We thought that the issue of non-equitable representation across the 36 states of the federation raised on the list of nominated career diplomats will be addressed in the non-career list, but unfortunately, this was not so.
“This is in spite of public outcry over it and the committee’s observation to that effect to the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, during an interface with us before the screening.
“Therefore, we have found it difficult to start the screening of the 46 non-career nominees and in fact, we propose that the list be returned to the Executive for review and re-presentation,” she said.
The recommendation of the committee was accordingly upheld by the Senate, which rejected the list through voice vote upon a motion by Senate Leader, Ali Ndume.
The nominees are Dr. Uzoma Ememke (Abia State), Dr. Clifford Zirra (Adamawa), Maj.-Gen. Godwin Umo (retd.) (Akwa Ibom), Christopher Okeke (Anambra), Yusuf Tugar (Bauchi), Baba Madugu (Bauchi), Brig.-Gen. Stanley Diriyai (Bayelsa), Dr. Enyantu Ifenne (Benue), Mohammed Hayatuddeen (Borno) and Dr. Etubom Asuquo (Cross River).
Also on the list are Francis Efeduma (Delta), Jonah Odo (Ebonyi), Uyagwe Igbe (Edo), Ayodele Ayodeji (Ekiti), Maj.-Gen. Chris Eze (retd.)(Enugu), Suleiman Hassan (Gombe), Amin Muhammad Dalhatu (Jigawa), Muhammad Yaro (Kaduna), Deborah Iliya (Kaduna), Prof. D. Abdulkadir (Kano), Haruna Ungogo (Kano), Justice lsa Dodo (Katsina), Dr. Usman Bugaje (Katsina), Prof. Tijjani Bande (Kebbi), Prof Y. O. Aliu (Kogi) and Nuruddeen Mohamed (Kwara).
Others are Prof. Mohamed Yisa (Kwara), Justice George Adesola Oguntade (retd.)(Lagos), Senator Olorunimbe Mamora (Lagos), Modupe Irele (Lagos), Musa Ilu Muhammad (Nasarawa), Mohammad Ibeto (Niger), Ade Asekun (Ogun), Sola Iji (Ondo), Adegboyega Ogunwusi (Osun), Maj.-Gen. Ashimiyu Olaniyi (retd.) (Oyo), Pauline Tallen (Plateau) and Dr. Haruna Bawa Abdullahi (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 Cpt. Abdullahi Uba Garbasi (Zamfara).
