Senators notified of Buhari’s request on new appointments
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s request for confirmation of former service chiefs as non- career ambassadors to Nigerian foreign missions has been brought to the notice of senators.
The request was contained in a letter addressed to President of Senate, Ahmad Lawan, which was read at plenary yesterday.
In the letter, Buhari said: “In accordance to section 171, sub- section 1, 2 C and Section 4 of 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I have the honour to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the underlisted as non- career ambassadors designate.
“The non - career ambassadors designate include: Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin ( rtd) ( Ekiti); Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai ( rtd), ( Borno); Vice Admiral Ibok- Ete Ibas ( rtd), Cross River); Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar ( rtd) Bauchi and Air Vice Marshal Mohammed S Usman ( rtd) ( Kano).”
In another letter addressed to Lawan, Buhari also sought confirmation of appointment of chief of defence staff and service chiefs for the armed forces.
Mr. President, in the letter, said the request was in compliance with provision of
Section 18 sub - section ( 1) of the Armed Forces Act CAP, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“I hereby forward for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of the underlisted officers as Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Isiaka Amao and Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Auwal Gambo.” Senate also received request for confirmation of appointments of Mr. Adolphus Aghughu as Auditor- General of the Federation; Mr. Victor Chinemerem Murakor as Chairman of Fiscal Responsibility Commission ( FRC); Mr. Larry Obinna Chukwu as commissioner representing South- East at Nigerian Law Reform Commission and
Wakari Bukar as commissioner representing Yobe, Borno and Bauchi states at Federal Civil Service Commission.
After notifying the lawmakers of Buhari’s requests, Senate adjourned plenary to February 10, following demise of a member of House of Representatives, Ossy Prestige, who represented Aba North and South Federal Constituency.
GUNMEN have killed two persons, who attempted to scare away sand miners and tipper drivers to enforce collection of sand at Odekpe axis of Ogbaru Council of Anambra State.
A witness said that bullets shot at the leader of the enforcement team, Sunday Anaekwe ( alias Otum) could not penetrate his body, prompting his assailants to stab and club him to death. The other victim, whose identity was not immediately known, died instantly by a gunshot.
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano, Stanley Nkwoka, told The Guardian that Anaekwe was his colleague in the Anambra State Tippers Association ( ASTA) led by Augustine Akaigwe, supported by the state government.
According to the witness, ASTA had, in the past few months, attempted to exclude the Great Tipper Drivers Association of Nigeria ( GTDAN) from collection of the joint welfare ticket charged per trip of sand.
It was learnt that GTDAN and Sand Miners Association of Anambra State ( SMAAS), both duly registered with the Corporate Affairs of Commission ( CAC) few years ago, had resisted plans by ASTA, backed by the state’s Ministry of Transport, to engage some contractors in the collection of the tipper levy.
The latest fracas came when Anaekwe, according to the witness, harassed and chased away workers at the beach, who later mobilised for free- for- all, during which the fatality occurred.
The Guardian gathered that the Ebuka Unekwe- led GTDAN, who conveyed sand from members of sand miners to the end users, initiated the joint welfare ticket of N500 per tipper load.
In a Memorandum of Understanding signed by
GTDAN and SMAAS, the parties agreed to provide for the welfare of members at the fee of N500 per six cubic of sand payable by every tipper driver.
The MOU, signed by GTDAN’S President. Davidson Unekwe; and Secretary- General, Jerry Ifejika; as well as SMAAS President, Christopher Mbaegbu; and Secretary, Obiora Chukwuma on June 17, 2020, specified that the welfare was payable for every truck load of sand from the beach.
When contacted, Anaekwe and Ifejika contended that they were not present at the scene of the fracas, stressing that information they got from Ogbaru indicated that Stanley Nkwoka was allegedly using his contact with the state government to sabotage efforts of GTDAN and SMAAS to collect the welfare ticket.
The Commissioner of Police, who spoke trough the Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO), Haruna Mohammed, said that clashes occur at the beach from time to time, adding that the police were already investigating the matter and would give details of their investigation in due course.
THE United Kingdom Border Force of Europe and International has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) for its remarkable seizures in the last few weeks under Gen. Buba Marwa’s watch.
Its Regional Operations Manager, West Africa, Kris Hawksfield, gave the commendation during his visit to Marwa on Monday at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Hawksfield said: “Since your appointment, there has been a flurry of activities. There have been huge seizures across commands. The cocaine seizure at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport was massive and for this, NDLEA must be recognised and commended. Accept my huge congratulations.”
He further maintained that “the result NDLEA is recording is far above any one organisation under our project across the globe. We must continue to work on our relationship to make sure that what is happening in Nigeria continues.”
Marwa appreciated the UK Border Force for the techni
cal support it had rendered to the agency in the last four years.
“NDLEA has felt the impact of your four- year project. The project has benefitted the agency in the area of training, infrastructure, equipment and intelligence sharing. We look forward to a more robust technical assistance in the subsequent phases of the project,” he said.
There has been a paradigm shift in the NDLEA since Marwa took over leadership of the ailing agency. A few days after at least three cocaine cartels were busted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport ( MMIA), Lagos, another trafficker, Ukaegbu
Bright Onyekachi, was nabbed last week with 3.30 kilogrammes of the illicit drug.
The suspect was arrested on Monday, February 1, 2021, during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline at the E arrival hall of the airport.
According to the Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, Mr. Ahmadu Garba, Onyekachi arrived Nigeria on board Ethiopian Airways from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa.