The Senate on
Wednesday received a request from President Muhammadu Buhari for the
replacement and confirmation of two non-career Ambassadors-designate.
The request was
contained in a letter read during the plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad
Lawan.
The President sought
to replace the earlier nomination of Mr. Oboro Effiong Akpabio and Brigadier
General Bwala Yusuf Bukar from Akwa-Ibom and Borno State, respectively.
A statement by
Ahmad’s spokesperson, Ezrel Tabiowo quoted the letter sa saying: “In accordance
to Section 171(1)(2)(c) and subsection (4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended,
I have the honour to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of
Mr. John J. Usanga and Air Commodore Peter Anda Bakiya Gana (rtd) from
Akwa-Ibom and Niger State respectively, as non-career Ambassadors-designate.
“The Senate is
kindly requested to recall my earlier submission of Mr. Oboro Effiong Akpabio
and Brigadier General Bwala Yusuf Bukar from Akwa-Ibom and Borno State
respectively, vide letter dated 17th June 2020, I substitute Mr. Oboro Effiong
Akpabio with Mr. John J. Usanga (Akwa-Ibom State). I replace Brigadier General
Bwala Yusuf Bukar (Borno State) with Air Commodore Peter Anda Bakiya Gana
(Niger State).”
But coming under
Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rules, the lawmaker representing FCT in the
upper chamber, Senator Philip Aduda, protested the exclusion of a non-career
Ambassador from the FCT.
According to him,
the only FCT indigene presently serving as a non-career Ambassador in Sierra
Leone, Hafiz Obada, was not re-appointed.
“For the
ambassadorial nomination for the non-career, nothing has been said about the
one for FCT. It has been silent and we have an Ambassador who is already
sitting in Sierra Leone, his name is Ambassador Hafiz Obada. We don’t know what
becomes of his fate because other states have been told to remain in their
stations or they have been re-appointed.
“My issue is that is
it at this time FCT will now lose an Ambassador. It is worrisome to me and the
people of the FCT. Sitting here, names have been called for all other states
except FCT and we have one.
“Now that particular
non-career Ambassadorial slot for the FCT is being taken away from us and is
being killed, otherwise we are also entitled to have, and that is what I have
consistently said since this list came out.
“So, Mr. President,
I hope something can be done to this to help the people of the FCT. We don’t
get Ministerial nomination, we don’t get so many of these things, but the small
ones that we have is about to be taken away which should not be so”, Aduda
said.
Lawan, in his
remark, described the lawmaker’s complaint as valid, saying it is constitutional
for an indigene of the FCT to be appointed as a non-career Ambassador by the
President.
“I sympathize with
the FCT but I know there were twelve non-career Ambassadors who were retained.
I don’t know if you have an FCT indigene among those twelve, probably you
should check that to see if you would see any FCT indigene, but your complaint
is very valid.
“What I’m going to
advice is maybe we need to take more political action, so that it doesn’t
always come like it is an after-thought. The FCT is to be treated like a state,
that’s what the Constitution states, so you deserve one like any other state
deserves”, Lawan said
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