Despite petitions against nominees of President Goodluck Jonathan into the Board of the National Hajj Commission, the Senate on Thursday gave approval to the appointments of the Chairman and Commissioners of the commission as requested for by the President.
The report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which screened the Board members, revealed that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and some other stakeholders kicked against the appointment of the Chairman and board members of the Hajj Commission.
It could be recalled that President Jonathan had in a letter forwarded to the Senate earlier this month nominated Abdullahi Muktar Muhammad and eight others as Chairman and Commissioners in view of the expiration of the tenure of the outgoing management of the commission on May 24.
The NSCIA in its petition, objected to the composition of the entire nominees presented to the Senate for the appointments.
Amongst other reasons cited by the body in the petition, it claimed that contrary to the provision of the Act, the President made the nominations and forwarded the list to the Senate without consultation with the NSCIA or the Sultan.
In substantiating its claim, the NSCIA quoted Section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act, 2006, which states: “The President shall, after due consultation, appoint persons of proven integrity as Chairman and members of the commission, subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
In his own personal petition, one Abdulmumini Adamu kicked against the nomination of Abdullahi Muktar Muhammad as the Chairman-designate without giving any specific reason, while an earlier petition filed by the Association for the Promotion of Consumer Rights International was withdrawn before the committee looked into the petitions.
The Committee, in its recommendations after going through the petitions, dismissed that of Mallam Abdulmumini Adamu on account of non-appearance before it for substantiation but counseled the Senate to use its discretion on the one filed by the NSCIA.
However, the Senate, while considering the report on Thursday, ignored the NSCIA petition by confirming the appointments of the eight nominees as proposed by President Jonathan.
In a motion moved for setting aside the Senate committee’s recommendation on the strength of the NSCIA petition, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act 2006 quoted by the NSCIA to back its petition does not specifically state that the body or the Sultan should be consulted by the President for such appointments.
Ndoma-Egba said the section only urges the President to make due consultation without specifically mentioning any person or body for such consultations, which he believed Jonathan must have done before forwarding the names of the nominees.
He therefore urged the Senate to confirm the appointment of the nominees since there are no proofs from anybody or relevant institutions that the President did not carry out consultations before their nominations.
The Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi, also supported Senate Leader that the nominees’ appointments should be confirmed by the Senate regardless of the petitions filed against them.
In Ningi’s words: “Mr. President, I rise to concur with the submission of the Senate Leader that the nominees presented before us by President Jonathan for appointment into the board of NAHCON should be confirmed, having been screened by our committee on Foreign Affairs and found worthy of the appointments.
“Personally, these nominees, as far as I am concerned, are men and women of proven integrity meant for the jobs for which they are nominated for.
“No petition should be allowed to stand in their ways please.”