Senate deplores ‘empty’ embassies, gets ambassadorial nominees, others

• Orders security chiefs to probe interstate travel breaches

The absence of ambassadors in Nigeria’s embassies attracted the stern condemnation of the Senate yesterday. The lawmakers, who took turns to speak on the issue, sought immediate reversal of the “worrisome development.”Senate President Ahmad Lawan set the ball rolling after reading a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari, urging the upper legislative chamber to confirm 42 career diplomats.

He noted: “As I speak, many Nigerian embassies don’t have ambassadors. This has been going on for a while, and I think we need to confirm these nominees to enable our embassies have substantive ambassadors.”

The candidates comprise C. O Nwachukwu from 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) and M. O Abam (Cross River).

The list also includes A. E Alottey (Cross River); G. E Edokpa (Edo); A. M Madubuike (Enugu); Adamu Lamuwa (Gombe); Innocent Iwejuo (Imo); M. S Abubakar (Jigawa); Y. A Ahmed (Jigawa); S.D Umar (Kaduna); A. A Sule (Kano); G. Y Hamza (Kano); N. Rimi (Katsina); Ahmed Remawa (Katsina); M. Manu (Kebbi); I. R Ocheni (Kogi) and I. A Yusuf (Kogi).

Others are 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); E. Awe (Ondo); O. Aluko (Osun); I. A, Alatishe (Osun); V. A Adeleke (Oyo); M. S Adamu (Plateau); I. N Charles (Rivers); M. Ifu (Taraba) and B. B Hamman (Yobe).

Besides, the red chamber received a correspondence from the President requesting it to confirm the nominees for the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, with Professor Jumai Audi as chairman.

The commissioners-designate are Ebele Bernard Chima (South East); Bassey Dan Abia (South South) and Mohammed Ibraheem (South West).The legislators also received another request 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).

Consequently, Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, moved a motion for the chamber to expedite the confirmations. Ruling, Lawan also urged speed before referring the NDIC nominees to the Senator Uba Sani-led Committee on Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions which is reporting back in two weeks.

Also yesterday, the Senate ordered heads of security agencies to probe the alleged complicity of their officers and men in acts constituting breaches to the interstate travel ban and curfew imposed by the Federal Government to check the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide. Following a motion moved in that respect by Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the legislative chamber urged prosecution of anyone found wanting.