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Tag: ambassadorial

  • Drama, as ambassadorial nominee refuses to recite National Anthem

    There was drama yesterday at the screening of an 82-year-old ambassadorial nominee, Justice Sylvanus Nsofor, by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

    The nominee vehemently refused to recite the National Anthem as requested by the committee.

    Members of the committee were left speechless as Justice Nsofor (rtd) argued with them.

    The name of the 82-year-old nominee was forwarded to the Senate for screening and confirmation by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    A member of the committee, Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East), asked Justice Nsofor a couple of questions, which included reciting the National Anthem.

    Apparently exhausted by the argument of the nominee and his seeming determination not to recite the anthem, the committee asked Nsofor to take a bow and go.

    Justice Nsofor, a nominee from Imo State, was born on March 17, 1935 in Oguta, Imo State.

    He was a one-time Judge of the High Court of Nigeria, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and lecturer in Law, Holborn College of Law, London.

    It is not yet clear whether the committee will recommend the confirmation of Justice Nsofor.

    Another ambassadorial nominee Mr. Adeyinka Olatokunbo Asekun, unlike Nsofor, answered all the questions posed to him by members of the committee.

    Asekun’s name was forwarded to the Senate by the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, for confirmation for ambassadorial posting.

    On how Nigeria could strengthen the Naira through its foreign exchange policy,  Asekun advised the Federal Government to embark on rebuilding the country’s export structure in the various countries.

    Asekun, who had a stint as a retail banker, was educated at the Wisconsin University and California State University, both in the United States of America.

    Members of the committee asked the nominee to take a bow and leave.

  • Ripples over ambassadorial nomination in Ondo APC

    Ripples over ambassadorial nomination in Ondo APC

    Crisis has hit the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) over the recent ambassadorial nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    A group within the party, the Movement Against Imposition (MAI), has called for the removal of the name of  Mr. Igbekele Daodu Jacobs from the list.

    Igbekele is a former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development.

    He  defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a week to the 2015 presidential elections. He was allegedly involved in anti-party activities during the recent governorship election.

    But, the Itesiwaju Consultative Forum, Akoko (ICFA), lauded the nomination of Igbekele by Buhari and denied his involvement in anti-party activities.

    The coordinator of MAI, Austin Pelemo, and its leader, Mr. Saka Yusuf Ogunleye urged President Buhari,  and the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to intervene in the issue.

    Yusuf said: “I am a member of the state excutive of this party. He joined our great party one week to the Presidential election, after serving six years in governor Olusegun Mimiko administration

    “After the governorship primary, the man left for the Alliance for Democracy (AD). When Buhari came here to canvass for vote for our governor – elect, Igbekele was with Olusola Oke canvassing for votes for him

    “We realised that there must be discipline in our party and that Jacob Daudu must be disciplined for anti party activities and not that he should be compensated for anti party activity

    Also, another group, the Ondo State Progressives Youths (OSPY), faulted the replacement of the former Chairman of the defunct Action Congress (AC), Sola Iji’s name with that of Igbekele.

    Iji, who is from Ese-Odo local government, was on the first list, which was rejected by the Senate.

    The former Commissioner, who is from Akoko, has been named has his replacement.

    A statement by OSPY coordinator, who is also the former deputy youth leader of the defunct ACN in South West, Mr. Enas Muhammed, said those behind the removal of Iji’s name were unfair to him.

    It noted that Iji has paid his due in the party by remaining with the progressives without defecting to any party during the period they were in the opposition for 16 years.

    OSPY added that Iji had been a unifying factor among members of the party, who see him as one of their respected leaders.

    The group said the party national executive body had trust in Iji by asking him to be in charge of the then crisis-ridden APC Kwara State chapter.

    It added: “Iji is a party man. He had remained in Progressives fold without jump ship to another political party.

    “We won’t allow this injustice to stand. We are urging the President to have a rethink on the representative of the state.

    “We know their antecedent in this state and their loyalty is always in doubt because they are found of running around in order to reap from where they do not sow.

    But, ICFA, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Akinwamide Jayeola, said the Presidency took the right decision by removing Iji’s name from the list.

    ICFA noted that the federal appointments had favoured the southern senatorial district more than other districts.

    The group pointed out that the only minister appointed from the state, Prof. Claudius Daramola, is from the South and Ife Oyedele, an Executive Director on the board of Niger-Delta, is also from the South.

    “Moreover, the State Chairman of our party, Isaac Kekemeke and the deputy governor-elect, Mr. Ajayi Agboola, are also from the South.

    “We are urging those allegeding Igbekele of anti-party to come out with facts.

    “Apart from this, his appointment is beyond the party because Igbekele and Mr. President have been good friends when Buhari was still at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) as Chairman.

    “Also, the appointment is to serve as compensation for the people of Akoko, who have been marginalised” the group said.

  • Drama of Senate ambassadorial screening

    THE National Assembly has never been in short supply of controversies. Perhaps that is the nature of the country’s brand of politics, a country that is finding it difficult to separate politics from governance.

    The 8th National Assembly may have earned the unenviable record of generating the highest number of controversies within a period of just one year since the rebirth of democracy in the country in 1999.

    Few weeks back, the ambassadorial list controversy ensued.  Senator Emmanuel Paulker was the first to draw the blood when he pointedly accused the Presidency of deliberately omitting  Bayelsa State from the list of 47 ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate for consideration and approval.

    Senator Joshua Dariye representing Plateau Central Senatorial District also complained that his state was left out of the list. So also were Senators from Ondo and Ebonyi States who complained bitterly that their states were not accommodated in list. The Senators cried blue murder and invoked the spirit of Federal Character Principles.  They claimed that some states were favoured with as many as three nominees while their states had none. Fair is fair, they concluded.

    When President Muhammadu Buhari sent the ambassadorial list to the Senate he may not have envisaged the bad blood it would engender.

    What started as a normal observation forced the Senate to abandon the presidential list. The upper chamber asked its Foreign Affairs committee to carry out full investigation of why some states were left out of list. The screening of those nominated was kept in the cooler pending the out come of the probe.

    The controversy over the list grew as the investigative panel summoned Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama to throw light on the list. The charges of lopsided, irregular and breach of the constitution persisted.

    At the end, the verdict of the committee was President Buhari committed no wrong especially as the list of nominees comprised only career diplomats.

    The Senate adopted the report paving the way for the Senate to proceed with the screening of the nominees.

    In adopting the committee report, the upper chamber asked the President to hasten to submit to it the list of non-career ambassadors to balance the nomination.

    Other recommendations of the committee adopted included; “that the President should be advised to expedite action on the submission of non-career nominees, which is expected to balance the perceived lopsidedness in the appointments.

    “ More so, in future nominations, the executive arm should be guided to see the logic of sustaining the previous practice of presenting to the Senate a combined list of both career and non-career nominees for confirmation;

    “That the Executive arm should be equally advised to promptly commence the process of the selection of all nominees and other principal officers of government for appointment, ahead of confirmation by Senate to avoid delays in governmental operations. “That the government is advised to sustain the recommendable compliance to gender representation and balance in the remaining nomination and any other one in the future with a view to giving the female gender the desired sense of belonging.”‎

    Vice Chairman, Senate Foreign Affairs committee, Senator Shehu Sani, who presented the report, informed the Senate that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation told the committee that the President breached no rules in the nomination.

    Lawal was also reported to have told the committee that nobody from Bayelsa, Ondo, Plateau and Ebonyi states where petitions came from met the criteria for selection.

    “The nominees were carefully selected on the basis of federal character, seniority, gender consideration, minimum of 30 months of service before retirement and competence.

    “The submission from the SGF admitted that officers of Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ondo and Plateau were not featured in the list because they did not meet the criteria for appointment,” Lawal was said to have declared.

    The screening had long been concluded line with the Senate resolution. However the drama that enveloped the screening process is still trending.

    The fact that some nominees failed woefully to recite the national Anthem and the Pledge may have been a function of the lackadaisical attitude most Nigerians in positions of authority attach to national symbols. National symbols that are considered a thing of pride in some climes are treated with laxity. For one of nominees, the capital of Lagos State is Lagos and not Ikeja.

    The female nominee was asked to list 12 states and their capitals. Her answer threw the audience into a hilarious session. Three others wobbled and fumbled as they laboured to recite the National Anthem and Pledge. It was such an embarrassing outing that some committee members expressed disgust that career diplomats found it difficult to recite the country’s National Anthem.

    Even when a committee member, Senator James Manager, gave one of the nominees a window of escape, the nominee could still not recite Pledge.  “What we saw today shows the quality of those we send out to represent the country in other countries,” one of the committee members lamented. The whole affair was comical as it was annoying.

    Presidential Aide, Senator Ita Enang, did not however see any thing wrong in the performance of the nominees.

    Enang in a statement entitled “Ambassadorial Nominees: ‎Media report a misrepresentation of fact” faulted reports that some ambassadorial nominees faltered while asked to recite the National Anthem and the Pledge during a Senate session to screen them.

    The Presidential aide who led the nominees to the venue of the screening session, said it was wrong to paint the nominees in bad light when nothing like happened.

    Enang said, “Our Attention has been drawn to report by a section of  the media that some Ambassadorial Nominees were unable to recite the National Anthem and Pledge while appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for screening today.

    ‎”May I state that the nominees were able to respond to questions asked the‎m, and also recited the National Anthem and Pledge when called upon. As such, the report by the media is incorrect.

    “Subjecting them to criticisms at this point over a situation which never happened in the first place is most unfair and uncalled for.  “Let me use this opportunity to appreciate the effort of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, and members of the committee, for the intellectual and thorough manner in which the exercise is being carried out.”

    The fact, Enang was economical with the truth of what transpired at the screening.

    As Nigerians await the resumption of plenary after a six week break of the two chambers, more controversies and drama may be in the offing. More often than not reason is thrown over board.

     

  • Ambassadorial nomination: Buhari in order, says SGF 

    Ambassadorial nomination: Buhari in order, says SGF 

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal at the weekend defended the list of 47 career ambassadorial nominees sent to the senate for confirmation.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari has the constitutional power to nominate ambassadors from anywhere he deems fit.

    He was responding to the criticism of the list by the senate on the grounds that it did not capture all the 36 states.

    Bayelsa State especially made a fuss on it on the floor of the senate, making the upper legislative chamber to halt the confirmation process and to invite the SGF and Minister of Foreign Affairs Geofrey Onyema.

    Other states not represented on the list are Ebonyi, Ondo and Plateau.

    But Lawal said since they are career diplomats, it is possible that those states did not have officers who met the criteria to be nominated.

    He however added that since other ambassadorial appointments will come from outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or related agencies, it will provide the opportunity for the states that didn’t make the list to have representation.

    Lawal, in an interview with reporters, said he was ready to appear before the Senate, saying, while the constitution prescribed nomination of at least one Minister from each state, the President has no such restriction in ambassadorial nominations.

    Rather than suspending deliberation on the list, he said that the matter should have been resolved with just a phone call.

    “Certainly, we will appear, we are law abiding, we respect the National Assembly and we respect the laws of the land. One thing however is clear, the constitution makes it clear that it is the prerogative of the president to nominate Ambassadors and the criteria he will use to do so is also the constitutional right of the President. Whatever criteria he chooses to use is constitutional.  We acknowledge also that it is also the prerogative of the Senate to approve or not to approve that nomination.

    “Be that as it may, I must say that we are disappointed that the National Assembly took the decision it did but again we believe that the Senate is made up of very responsible and patriotic Nigerians and the Senate is made up of great people including ex-governors who have governed and known the constitution regarding separation of powers.

    “We believe that the Senate will not do anything that will bring the country to disrepute because right now Nigeria enjoys tremendous goodwill all over the globe. Countries now have high regard and respect for our president, our ministers and all other representatives of government are treated very well and with respect wherever they go. It is important to have ambassadors to sustain this goodwill.” He added

    He also pointed out that having ambassadors in foreign countries have a long way to go in seeking foreign investment into the country.

    He said: “Again, a lot of the travels by the president and government representatives is to attract direct foreign investment into the country and ambassadors are key to sustaining this and ensuring that the goals for these trips are achieved.

    “A third reason why we think these ambassadors are key is because of the phenomenal of global terrorism; almost every country around the world is facing it and all nations of the world are now collaborating with each other to fight this international terrorism. It is important that Nigerians have representatives on the ground who will represent its interest and defend it.” He stated

    Delaying the screening of ambassadors even by one day, he said, is inimical to progress.

    “We believe that senators being patriotic Nigerians will not want to cause undue hardship and put Nigeria at an undue disadvantage in any regard. While we respect their rights and their views on the issues of ambassadorial nominees, we expect that in coming to whatever decision, they will consider patriotism and put into cognizance the interest of their own country and not probably political considerations or even personal considerations to bring undue hardship and disadvantage to their own country.

    On the Federal Character principle, he said: “Of course we have read in the newspapers some of their concerns such as federal character and so on. At the last count my recollection is that out of the 47 diplomat nominees, out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, 32 states are represented. While the constitution preaches federal character, it does not say that every state must be represented in any appointment, except of course in the case of ministers. Not in all other appointments, so the spirit of the constitution has been fully satisfied by having 32 ambassadors out of 36 plus one. I believe that every objective analyst will agree with this.

    Listing some of the criteria adopted in the nomination of the ambassadors, apart from merit and qualifications, he said that it was important not to appoint someone an ambassador that will soon retire.

    He said: “So one of the criteria the person must have is that he must not be less than 30 months to retirement.

    “If you know the processes of nominating and deploying ambassadors you will know that for example, it is highly unlikely that the Senate will be done with it within the next two, three weeks. These ambassadors will need to be presented to the countries where they are going to be posted for checks and confirmation by those countries.

    “We cannot dictate the speed at which they will do it, so it could take in all honesty probably six to seven months for an ambassador to fully be cleared and assume his new post. It will take longer still for him to acclimatise and settle down in his work. There have been a subsisting policy not by this regime alone that it will be good for someone who has 30 months to retire not be be posted because then he will just be settling down before retiring, it doesn’t make sense.” He said

    He said that another criteria considered was the accelerating level of the nominee, which must be grade level 16 or 17.

    “Due to no fault of this government, not all states have people in the ministry of foreign affairs, in the foreign service department that met this criteria.” He stated

    He also said that the criteria included consideration for specialist areas, satisfying requirement of gender sensitivity, while the nominee must also be change compatible.

  • Femi Adebayo signs ambassadorial deal

    Femi Adebayo signs ambassadorial deal

    The year 2016 seems to be Femi Adebayo’s year as the second generation actor inked a brand ambassadorial deal with real estate firm; Kayode Obembe and Co Limited. The formal signing on ceremony held on Thursday March 31 at Ikeja.

    At the ceremony, the elated actor explained that he had taken his time to verify the reputation of the firm, and was pleased to be their brand ambassador. Speaking further he said that although he had received quite a number of offers from other real estate firms, he was satisfied with Obembe and Co’s reputation, hence his decision to represent them.

    “I agreed to the endorsement because I have done by own research, and I discovered that they are very reputable. However, I have gotten so many offers from other real-estates companies but I decided to associate myself with this company because they are highly reputable and reliable,” he said.

    Speaking on combining his role as a brand ambassador with his new appointment, he explained that both positions complement each other. He also urged the firm to invest in Kwara state so as to extend their brand, while creating employment opportunities in the state. He stated, “The two are there to complement each other because tourism goes along with branding. On behalf of the Kwara state governor, I use this medium to invite Kayode Obembe to Kwara state to invest in real-estate. This will not only expand the coast of the brand, but will also create employment in the state.”