Senate rejects Buhari’s non-career ambassadors

The senate has returned the list of non-career ambassadors to President Muhammadu Buhari for rejigging.

Monsurat Sunmonu, chairman senate committee on foreign affairs, had suggested that a second list, which contains names of 46 non-career ambassadors, be returned to the executive for re-presentation.

‎”I suggest we return the list of non-career ambassadors to the executive so that they can re-present it. There are about 200 petitions against the nominees, and we don’t even know where to start,” she said‎.

Buhari’s non-career ambassador list had caused friction in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governors elected on the platform of the party had met with the president on different occasions to raise concerns over the list.

The president had assured them that he would look into their concerns.

But until the rejection of the list by the senate no action was taken.

Two nominees, Pauline Tallen, former deputy governor of Plateau state, and Usman Bugaje, from Katsina state, had turned down their appointment.

However, the upper legislative chamber confirmed the appointment of 47 career ambassadors, which Buhari forwarded to it in June.

The confirmation followed the presentation of a report on the screening of the nominees by Sunmonu.

The committee had screened the nominees in August.

In her report, Sunmonu said ‎some of the nominees did not meet a requirement for appointment as ambassadors‎.

She said some of them had less than 30 months to retire as required for service.

“The problem is that some of them did not meet the 30-month requirement. Some have 20, 25, 18 months to retire,” she said.

She explained that 14 nominees had less than 30 months to retire from service, while four of the nominees could not recite‎ the national anthem.

However, her committee recommended t‎he confirmation of their appointment.