Buhari appoints 42 career ambassadors

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated 42 ambassadors-designate, all of them career officers.

The nomination was contained in a letter he addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, requesting the confirmation of the nominees.

The president’s letter, dated May 6, 2020, was read at the beginning of plenary on Tuesday by Lawan.

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The letter reads: “In accordance to section 171 (1),(2)(c) & sub-section (4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I have the honour to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the underlisted 42 names of nominees as Career Ambassadors-Designate. Copies of their Curriculum Vitae are attached herewith.”

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); B.B.M. 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); A. N. 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); l. R. Ocheni (Kogi); l. 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).

The Senate also received Buhari’s requests for the confirmation of Professor Jumai Audi, as the Chairman of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission (NLRC).

Also to be confirmed as commissioners for the NLRC are: Hon. Ebele Bernard Chima, South East; Barr. Bassey Dan Abia, South-South; and Hon. Mohammed Ibraheem, South-West.

Buhari also asked the Senate for the confirmation of Diana Okonta (South-South); and Ya’ana Talib Yaro (North-East) as Non-Executive Directors of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

According to President Buhari, 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 existing vacancies.

The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, 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 NDIC nominees.

In his ruling, the senate president underscored the need for the upper chamber to “fast-track the process” to enable committees to screen the nominees. 

Lawan, thereafter, referred the confirmation requests to the relevant committees.

The president’s letters requested the Senate to consider and approve the nominations “in the usual expeditious manner”.