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Confirmation of ex-service chiefs and top military officers did not sail smoothly on the floor of the Senate, Tuesday, as the Minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe drew the attention of the Senate on the implication of such confirmation on its integrity, if a petition against the nominees was ignored.
The Senate had received the report at plenary and moved to meet in the committee of the whole to consider the reports for confirmation of the five nominees are General Abayomi G. Olonisakin (retd) Ekiti, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Burutai (retd), Borno, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), Cross River, Air Marshal, Sadique Baba Abubakar, (retd), and Air Vice-Marshal Muhammed S. Usman (retd), Kano.
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The Senate on Tuesday considered and confirmed five presidential nominees for the position of non-career ambassador-designate in a controversial twist.
Four of the nominees are immediate past service chiefs, General Abayomi G. Olonisakin (retd), Ekiti; Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Burutai (retd), Borno; Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), Cross River; Air Marshal, Sadique Baba Abubakar (retd), and Air Vice-Marshal Muhammed S. Usman (retd), Kano.
Minority leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe had demanded that the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Mohammed Bulkachuwa, provide the Senate with reports of petitions against the nominees which according to him bordered on the integrity of the Senate.
Senate confirms former Service Chiefs as non-career ambassadors
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The confirmation of the nominees followed consideration of the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The former Service Chiefs confirmed are: General Abayomi G. Olonisakin (Rtd), Ekiti; Lt. General Tukur Y. Buratai (Rtd), Borno; Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete E. Ibas (Rtd), Cross River; and Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar (Rtd), Bauchi.
Also confirmed was Air Vice Marshal Muhammad S. Usman (Rtd), Kano.
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa, in his presentation said their appointments were made in line with section 171(40) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
According to him, “their experiences as Service Chiefs and in the military where they rose to the highest ranks in their careers have made them eminently qualified; and that the nominees were very knowledgeable and articulate in their response to questions directed at them by the Committee.”
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
A constitutional lawyer, Mr. Johnmary Jideobi, on Tuesday, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja for an order to compel all the immediate past Service Chiefs, to refund all salaries, allowances, emoluments and benefits they received from December 18, 2017, to January 26, 2021.
The Plaintiff, in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/183/2021, argued that tenures of the erstwhile Service Chiefs, were illegally extended for over four years by President Muhammadu Buhari, without the requisite confirmation of the National Assembly.
Specifically, he is asking the court to determine, “whether by the community reading and conflated interpretation of the provisions of Section 218 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Section 18 of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A.20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whose power of appointment of service chiefs is subordinated to the confirmatio
Senate begins confirmation request of ex-Service Chiefs, Fiscal Responsibility Commission
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Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to the Nigerian Senate seeking confirmation of the newly appointed ex-Service Chiefs, Senate on Wednesday commenced the process.
The request was read on the floor of Senate Chambers by the Deputy Leader, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, stating that the confirmation was in line with the provision of Section 171(1) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.
He said: “That the Senate do consider the request of Mr. President C-in-C on the confirmation of the following persons for appointment as Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs.
They are: