By Admin
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to forward the name of an indigene of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja to the senate as a non-career ambassadorial nominee after the FCT was omitted in three lists of nominees for ambassador.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan made the call during a plenary session following a protest by the senator representing the FCT, Philip Aduda.
Rising under Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rules, Mr Aduda said, the continuous omission of the FCT from the list of nominees is unacceptable.
Aduda: “Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, I did yesterday raise some issues with you, Your Excellency, about the issue of the appointment of ambassadors.
“Your Excellency, I’ve consistently mentioned that before now we had a non-career ambassador for the FCT.
“But when the first list came, the FCT was omitted. The second list came, the FCT was omitted; and then we have another opportunity where the FCT is supposed to be represented but it has still been omitted.
“Your Excellency, this gives us worry in the FCT, because it is showing that maybe it is Federal Character, or something is wrong somewhere.
“Mr President, we know that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the power to hire and fire, but Mr President, we urge you as our leader and Speaker of the people of the FCT, and indeed, the President, who incidentally by the Constitution – Section 299 – happens to be the Governor of the FCT, that in making nominations, he should look at us and please grant us our heart desire which is to have a non-career ambassador for the FCT.
“Indeed, the opportunity has come again, when some ambassadorial nominees have been submitted, and the committee will be doing its work very soon.
“We want to crave the indulgence of this Senate, and it is a constitutional matter. Mr. President, my Distinguished Colleagues, here I come again today with the hope that we will get support from our State House of Assembly, which is the National Assembly, and indeed the Senate with you as Chairman, to intervene in this matter and ensure that the people of the FCT have a non-career ambassador.”
