It
was confirmation of appointments galore at the Senate yesterday as two Justices
were endorsed for the Supreme Court, commissioners were okayed for the
Independent National Electoral Commission and board members for the National
Communications Commission (NCC) .
Not
so lucky were a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Pastor
Ezekiel Yissa Ezekiel and Aliyu Saidu Abubakar, whose nominations to the NCC
board were rejected.
The
report of the Senator Gilbert Nnaji-led Committee on Communications said that
only five out of the seven nominees submitted to the Senate by President
Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation into the NCC board, were considered fit for
board appointment.
Those
cleared are octogenarian Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, as Chairman Governing
Board, a journalist and former Special Adviser/Chief of Staff to Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, Mr. Sunday Dare, as Executive Commissioner (stakeholders management),
Mr. Clement Omeiza Baiye, (Non Executive Commissioner) Chief Okoi Obia
(Non-Executive Commissioner) and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, (Non-Executive
Commissioner).
The
nominees confirmed as as commissioners in the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) are: Agbamuche-Mbu (Delta), Prof. Okechukwu
Ibeanu (Anambra), Ahmed Mu’azu (Gombe), Mohammed Kudu Haruna (Niger), Dr.
Adekunle Ogunmola (Oyo) and Abubakar Nahuche (Zamfara).
Dare,
a Harvard and Oxford-trained media manager is a communications expert and
multi-media resource person with over 20 years experience. For nine years, he
was a supervisor of International radio broadcasters at the Voice of America
(VOA).
The
Senate also confirmed the appointments of Justices Dauda Bage and Paul Galinje
as Supreme Court justices.
On
Abubakar’s rejection, the committee recommended that “Mr. Abubakar’s response
to the questions and issues raised by the Committee unveils him as a candidate
who is not prepared for the demands of office such as required Commissioners of
the NCC.”
Senator
Nnaji added that “Mr. Aliyu Saidu Abubakar could not produce any credible
educational certificate for the Committee to verify at the screening. He
obviously lacks the professional and educational disciplines provided in
Section 7 (1)(a-h) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 which stipulates
the qualification for the Commission’s Board.”
On
the rejection of Pastor Ezekiel, the committee said, “Pastor Ezekiel Yissa’s
background as a career Nursing Officer however, will not put him in good stead
to be able to effectively cope with the dynamics of the communications sector
if his nomination is confirmed.”
Abubakar
had argued during his screening that the cost of running the Senate was high
and therefore should be scrapped.
He
noted that a situation where the senators were being paid huge sums as
transport allowances among others amounted to economic loss to the country.
The
Bauchi State nominee also criticized the purchase expensive vehicles for the
lawmakers.
When
the screening committee presented him (Abubakar) with several photographs where
he was variously leading organised protests against the Senate particularly at
the gate of the National Assembly, the unrepentant nominee thundered that he
had no regret for his actions as he was still convinced that Senate was an
avenue for wastage of scarce economic resources of the country.
The
committee had earlier pointed out what described grave irregularities in the
personal records of the nominee.
The
committee noted that aside birth certificate, “there were only copies of court
affidavit and police extract dated the same day, strangely after he had been
nominated, claiming loss of his credentials.”
It
said that “Interestingly also, his highest academic qualification was a
one-year “Diploma in Computer” from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi
of-which the attached statement of result was dated 23rd September 2016, still
after he had been nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The
report said, “When requested to throw more light on why he chose to present
documents that were prepared shortly after his nomination and also why he
believed that he was qualified to function as a National Commissioner in such a
critical agency as NCC given the rigours, challenges and required expertise for
efficiency of the commission, he revealed that he ‘did not bother to go for the
credentials’ because according to him he “only went to school merely for
knowledge having self-employed prior to the nomination”.
Senator
Nnaji told reporters after the consideration of the report “In my capacity as
the Chairman I just defended the recommendations of the Committee that the
Senate should confirm only five out of seven nominees for the governing board
of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
“In
the course of our screening, we found out that two of the presidential nominees
were not eligible and as such not fit to serve in the Board given our resolve
to ensure that the communications regulatory agency is efficient and responsive
relative to the prevailing challenges in the sector.
“We
assessed them based on certain parametres in line with the key performance
indices put in place for the industry operators. Our decisions were basically
guided by national interest.
“Telecom
network providers must be made to render services that offer Nigerian masses
values for their monies.
“So
there is no way someone who does not possess the basic skills or expertise to
key into our vision for a sustainable communications industry could have been
cleared to serve in the board.”
Source:The Nation
Tags
Business