The Presidency on Monday appealed to the Senate to lift the embargo placed on screening and confirmation of nominees submitted to the Red Chamber for approval since last year.
The Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, made the plea during the screening of two nominees for Deputy Governorship positions of the Central Bank of Nigeria and for other members of the apex bank’s Monitoring Policy Committee by the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions.
Enang in his remarks before the committee, pleaded with the Senate to extend its magnanimity on consideration of the nominees to others forwarded to it since last year.
Enang said: “I want to on behalf of the executive thank the Senate for the resolution made last week, which paved way for screening exercise of presidential nominees for CBN Deputy Governorship positions and members of the banks Monetary Policy Committee.
“May I on behalf of the executive plead with the Senate to extend its magnanimity on these nominees to other ones already forwarded to it like executives and board members of various agencies.”
However, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, immediately interjected Buhari’s Special Assistant, explaining that the gesture given to the CBN nominees was a special one in view of economic implications.
Ibrahim added that the non-confirmation of the members of the MPC by the Senate is endangering the economy of the country, adding that the failure of the Senate to confirm prevented the MPC meeting of the CBN to hold in January and on March 19, 2018.
Those screened by the committee for the CBN Deputy governors were Aisha Ahmad from Niger State and Edward Adamu from Gombe State.
Others were Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, Dr. Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi, Dr. Robert Asogwa and Dr. Asheikh Maidugu, all as members of the apex bank’s Monetary Policy Committee.