Following the confirmation of the Ex-Service Chiefs as non-career ambassadors by the Nigerian Senate, the former National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank has condemned the Senate’s action.
He said the upper chamber’s approval is a betrayal of the people’s trust for appointing the same set of people who have been called out severally for incompetence and were sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Confirming the same set of officers it called for their sack more than thrice over incompetence in mitigating insecurity in the country as serving the military top echelon is bad. “How can men who failed to bring Nigeria any respite against criminal gangs despite vast arms and ammunition at their disposal as military chiefs now be relied upon to win the country laurels through diplomacy which has been regarded as a war by other means? “Clearly, Buhari made a mistake by nominating failed officers for ambassadorial positions. The Senate has compounded that mistake by approving the nominations” he said.
Following the consideration of the report presented by the Chairman, Committee of Foreign Affairs, Adamu Bulkachuwa, it will be recalled that on Tuesday, the Senate had confirmed the former service chiefs as non-career-ambassadors designate.
The upper chamber ignored several petitions, urging the Senate to throw out their nominations considering the fact that the same Senate had in the past, passed a vote of no-confidence in the service chiefs over their failure to bring an end to terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping in the country.
The Senate President Ahmed Lawan dismissed the concern of the Minority leader, saying that the nomination of the former service chiefs cannot be nullified simply because the senate had called for their sack, noting that this is totally a different assignment.
Lawan halted further debate before concluding that the service chiefs had served the country in their best abilities and should be posted to countries where they could be useful.
The appointees are former Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin; former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; former Chief of Air Staff, Ibok Ibas; and former Chief of Naval Staff, Abubakar Sadique.
Frank also said that posterity would judge APC members but commended the Minority Leader, Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe for questioning their nomination when the senate had on three occasions called for their sack.
He said, “The committee will have given us a little incline on the reasons why it was dismissed because the petition borders on the integrity of the Senate from the petition that I received, what that petition clearly states is that this Senate took a resolution that these men should be removed from the security apparatus in Nigeria and not just once but thrice we took the decision here. And for the same people to be brought back and confirmed for another appointment that the senate is under obligation itself to look at the resolution we have discussed before, before we go ahead to say we dismissed and let them go ahead that is why I wanted for the committee Chairman to tell us what informed their decision.”
Also, a former lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district, Dino Melaye on Wednesday alleged via his Twitter handle that the 9th Assembly lawmakers were working with the Presidency for confirming the Ex-service chiefs as Ambassadors.
Dino’s tweet says, “Confirmation of service chief: Shame on the Senate who just confirmed that the Nigerian Senate is a department of Aso Rock and the Presidency. Confirming those you recommended for sack more than once for gross incompetence as Ambassadors is a SHAME. SDM”.
