The Senate on Wednesday 22nd June 2016 invited the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the Secretary General of the Federation, Engr. Babachir David Lawal to appear before its Committee on Foreign Affairs and explain the process it employed in compiling the list of 47 ambassadorial nominees. The Senate’s invitation is based on the alleged irregularities and omission of some nominees in some States. It would be recalled that President Buhari had forwarded a list containing 47 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate on 9th June2016.
Moving the motion under matters of urgent public importance, Sen. Joshua Dariye (PDP:Plateau) informed the Senate that he had received complaints by many eminent Nigerians on the exclusion of ambassadorial nominees from their State. Sen. Olushola Adeyeye (APC:Osun) also verified that he had been approached by many persons over the seeming irregularities on the ambassadorial nominees list who observed that some of the most qualified senior cadre of the diplomatic service were bypassed in the nomination without adduced reasons for their omission. Sen. Sonny Ogbuoji (PDP:Ebonyi) and Sen. Foster Ogola (PDP:Bayelsa) also expressed displeasure over the omission of their States from the ambassadorial nominees list. In particular, Sen. Foster suggested that further consideration of the ambassadorial nominees list should be suspended until all States were reflected on the ambassadorial nominee list.
Sen. ShehuSani (APC:Kaduna),vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairshas affirmed that his Committee had received several complaints on the ambassadorial list and was taking action on it.
