The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, yesterday, approved the nomination of former Minister of Aviation, Femi FaniKayode, for appointment as ambassador.
The committee also cleared former Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, ex-special adviser on new media to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, former presidential aide, Senator Ita Enang, and Senator Grace Bent.
Also approved for appointment as ambassadors are former INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, former Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and former Governor of Abia State Victor Okezie Ikpeazu. After brief introductions, former ministers, ambassadors and lawmakers were asked to “take a bow and go,” in line with Senate tradition.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, defended the continued use of the “bow and go” procedure for certain nominees, saying it is reserved for individuals with established and verifiable records of public service.
Speaking during the screening of non-career ambassadorial nominees, Bamidele explained that anyone who has previously served in the National Assembly automatically qualifies for the privilege, arguing that their legislative history and public profile are already well known to lawmakers.
The screening session, which was conducted in batches of five nominees per batch, experienced a mild drama when it was the turn of Omokri to face the panel. Senators Ali Ndume and Adams Oshiomhole openly disagreed on how his clearance should proceed. After Omokri’s batch had introduced themselves, Ndume moved a motion to allow the nominees to take a bow and leave.
However, some Senators, including Oshiomhole, insisted that they should be allowed the opportunity to make comments. The Committee Chairman, Senator Sani Bello, recognised Oshiomhole to speak, but Ndume insisted that his motion should be seconded before allowing further interventions, a development that led to a sharp disagreement between the two Senators.
“The procedure is that if there is a motion on ground, it should be seconded. If it is not seconded, it is dead,” Ndume, a former senate leader, said. Oshiomhole countered, noting the need to speak in the public interest regarding Omokri.
“Mr Chairman, I think I need to speak on this in the public interest. In particular reference to the nominee, Reno, because we cannot pretend we have not heard stories,” he said.
Ndume responded: “You can’t work on stories; there is no petition before the committee. The Senate is not a joke.” Then the Chairman of the Committee, Sani Bello, called the Senators to order and asked if they had any objections to Omokri’s nomination. Both lawmakers said they had none. Omokri was later asked to take a bow and go.
The screening of the ambassadorial nominees was sequel to President Bola Tinubu’s submission to the Senate on November 29, requesting that those nominated be considered and approved for appointments to the country’s foreign missions, which have been operating without ambassadors for some time now.
