Nigeria’s Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of the immediate-past service chiefs as non-career ambassadors-designate.
Those confirmed are former Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin; former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; former Chief of Air Staff, Ibok Ibas, and former Chief of Naval Staff, Abubakar Sadique.
Their confirmation followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Mohammed Bulkachuwa.
The journey to Tuesday’s confirmation followed the request by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on February 10, to the Committee on Foreign Affairs to confirm the former military chiefs ) as non-career ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Their nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 5 to confirmed as ambassadors had drawn a lot of criticism from Nigerians. Some said that they failed in their duties by not eliminating the insecurity currently facing the country and that the appointment amounted to rewarding failure. Others said the Nigerian military had committed human rights abuses and that the appointments were a way of shielding them from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Minority Leader, had sought to draw the attention of the Senators to a petition against their confirmation, but he was stopped by the President of Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
Abaribe had asked Bulkachuwa, to explain why the petition against them was dismissed, to which Lawan responded by saying the petition lacked merit.
