By Nuel Suji – The Senate on Thursday rejected two out of the 47 nominees forwarded to it for confirmation as non career ambassadors by President Muhammadu Buhari two months ago but confirmed the nomination of the 45 others.
One of the two nominees rejected by the Senate is an 82 year old man, Justice Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor from Imo State and the second is Jacob Igbekele Daodu from Ondo state based on reports of its committee on Foreign Affairs.
According to the report the 82 year old looked frail and tired and his responses to the issues raised were either not answered or devoid of details and mostly satirical.
Similarly the committee in its report on the Ondo nominee, Jacob Igbekele Daodu said he didn’t in any way respond to issues raised at the screening with satisfactory answers besides negative security report against him by the DSS.
The 45 non career ambassadorial designate across the states are Dr. Mrs Uzoma. E. Emenike (Abia), Aminu Iyawa (Adamawa), Maj. Gen. Godwin. G. Umor (rtd) (Akwa Ibom), Christopher J. N. Okere (Anambra), Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Bauchi), Baba Madugu (Bauchi), Brig. Gen. Stanley Diriyai (Bayelsa), Prof. Steven Ugba (Benue) and Baba Jidda (Borno), Etubom Asuquo (Cross River), Mr Frank Efeduma (Delta), Jonah Odo (Ebonyi), Uyagwe Igbe (Edo) Eniola Ajayi (Ekiti), Maj.-Gen. Chris Eze (Enugu), Suleiman Hassan (Gombe), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), Ahmed Bamali (Kaduna), Deborah Iliya (Kaduna) and Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir (Kano).
Others are; Haruna Ungogo (Kano), Justice Isa Dodo (Katsina), Mohammadu Barade (Katsina), Prof. Tijjani Bande (Kebbi), Prof. Y. O. Aliu (Kogi) Nurudeen Mohammed (Kwara), Prof. Mohammed Yisa (Kwara), Justice George Oguntade (Lagos) and Modupe Irele (Lagos), Musa Muhammad (Nasarawa), Ahmed Ibeto (Niger), Suzanne Folarin (Ogun), Afolahan Adeyemi (Osun), Maj.-Gen. Ashimiyu Olaniyi (retd) (Oyo), James Dimka (Plateau), Haruna Abdullahi (Plateau), Orji Ngofa (Rivers), Sahabi Gada (Sokoto), Kabiru Umar (Sokoto), Hassan Ardo (Taraba), Goni Bura (Yobe), Garba Gajam (Zamfara), Bala Mairiga (Zamfara) and Ibrahim Ugbada (FCT) were confirmed .
In his remarks, Senate President, Bukola Saraki said the ambassadors designate should be of good behaviour in any country they might find themselves.
Saraki also called on the Federal Government to pay up all outstanding salaries being owed the missions to enable them perform optimally.
