PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Senate to screen and confirm 41 non-career ambassadors and a career ambassador-designate for appointment.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by Ahmad Lawan, Senate President who read the president’s letter to lawmakers of the Red Chamber.
The letter said the 41 ambassadorial nominees were selected from 32 states across the country.
In the list submitted by the president, South East geo-political zone has the least number of ambassadorial nominees with just four persons, while North Central has the highest with nine nominees.
Others are North West with eight nominees, South West has seven nominees, while both North East and South South has six nominees apiece.
The nominees include Debo Adesina (Oyo), Former Minister of State for Defence, Ademola Seriki (Lagos) and Dare Sunday Awoniyi (Kogi), Hajara Salim (Gombe), and Obiezu Ijeoma Chinyerem (Imo).
Also included on the list are Oma Djebah (Delta), Ominyi N. Eze (Ebonyi), Yamah Mohammed Musa (Edo), Maj. Gen. C.O. Ugwu (Enugu), Dr. Hajara I. Salim (Gombe), Obiezu Ijeoma Chinyerem (Imo), Ali M. Magashi (Jigawa), Prof. M.A. Makarfi (Kaduna), Hamisu Umar Takalmawa (Kano), Jazuli Imam Galandanci (Kano), Amina Ado Kurawa (Kano), Amb. Yahaya Lawal (Katsina), Ibrahim Kayode Laaro (Kwara), Abioye Bello (Kwara).
The President also nominated Zara Maazu Umar (Kwara), Henry John Omaku (Nasarawa), Chief Sarafa Tunji Isola (Ogun), Nimi Akinkube (Ondo), Adejaba Bello (Osun), Adeshina Alege (Oyo), Folakemi Akinyele (Oyo), Shehu Abdullahi Yibaikwal (Plateau), Maureen Tamuno (Rivers), Faruk Yabo (Sokoto), Adamu M. Hassan (Taraba), Yusuf Mohammed (Yobe) and Abubakar Moriki (Zamfara) as non-Career Ambassadors-Designate.
In a separate letter, the president requested the Senate to requested the Upper Chamber to confirm Sulaiman Sani as a Career Ambassador representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The letter reads: “In accordance to Section 171(1)(2)(c) and 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 appointment of Suleiman Sani as career Ambassador-designate for the FCT.”
Sani’s nomination may not be unrelated with the protest by Philip Aduda , the senator representing the FCT saying the territory was neglected in the earlier list of Career Ambassadors sent to the Senate for confirmation.
Following the reading of Buhari’s letter, Aduda, through a point of order, thanked the Senate President for helping to ensure that the FCT was not relegated in the appointment of the Career Ambassadors.
The lawmaker said that he believed that the President of the Senate would also intervene to ensure that the FCT is represented in the appointment of Non-Career Ambassadors.
Amos Abba is a journalist with the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, who believes that courageous investigative reporting is the key to social justice and accountability in the society.