Twelve
days after the Senate cleared Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla, Cross River, South
South, as a non-Executive Commissioner on the governing board of the Nigerian
Communications Commission, NCC, it has made a dramatic turn by dropping his
name from the list of successful nominees sent to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Obono-Obla’s name was removed in the letter transmitted to Buhari as one of
those confirmed by the legislature.
In
the letter dated November 22, signed by Senate President Bukola Saraki, a copy
of which was obtained yesterday, Obono-Obla was listed as one of the three
whose nominations were rejected by the Senate. It would be recalled that
Oboni-Obla was among the five whose nominations by President Buhari were
approved by the Senate on November 17, 2016, while two of the nominees were
dropped.
At
the plenary, those whose appointments were confirmed were Senator Olabiyi
Durojaiye (Chairman/Ogun/South-West), Senator Ifeanyi Ararume(Non- Executive
Commissioner/Imo/South East), Sunday Dare (Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders
Management/Oyo/South-West), Okoi Ofem; Obono-Obla (Non-Executive
Commissioner/Cross River/South-South) and Clement Omeiza Baiye (Non-Executive
Commissioner/Kogi/North-Central).
The
lawmakers, however, dropped Aliyu Abubakar (Non-Executive
Commissioner/Bauchi/North-East) and Pastor Ezekiel Yissa (Non-Executive
Commissioner/Kwara/North-Central). According to the report of Senator Gilbert
Nnaji led Committee on Communications, Pastor Ezekiel was rejected because of
his background as a nursing officer.
The
second nominee rejected by the Senate, Alitu Abubakar, had repeatedly called
for the scrapping of the Senate, even when he appeared before the Senate for
screening, saying the existence of the Senate was not justifiable. He also
pointed out that the upper chamber was only wasting the nation’s resources by
its existence. Obono-Obla, who is the Special Assistant to the President on
Prosecution, attached to the Ministry of Justice, protested in an email sent
yesterday against what he described as back-door removal.
The
mail was titled, Can the Senate President unilaterally overrule the
confirmation of a nominee by the Senate? The nominee, who asked why he was
removed after the Senate had confirmed his nomination, simply said: “The entire
major electronic and print media organs in the country, on November 17 and 18,
2016, carried the confirmation by the Senate of the Board of Nigerian
Communications Commission.
“Surprisingly and curiously, the Senate
President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, in a letter dated November 22, 2016,
to President Muhammadu Buhari, titled ‘Confirmation of Appointments,’ falsely
stated that the Senate did not confirm the following nominees: Aliyu Saidu
Abubakar; Pastor Ezekiel Yissa and Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla.”
Source:Vanguard
Tags
Politics