The Senate on Wednesday directed its Committee on Foreign Affairs to begin the screening of career ambassadors recommended to it by President Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation.
This was even as a report revealed that the career officers from Ebonyi, Ondo, Bayelsa and Plateau States failed to meet up with criteria for selection.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs, which treated not less than 37 petitions on the non-appointment of career ambassadors from some States, disclosed that the Secretary to Government of Federation, David Babachir Lawal, promised that President Buhari will ensure that each state of the Federation is represented in line with the principles of Federal Character.
Presenting the report of the Committee, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Shehu Sani, informed the lawmakers that the late submission of the list of the career nominees was attributed to the delay in the appointment of the principal officers and Cabinet Ministers, most of which came late in 2 015.
The report stated: “Bayelsa, from the presentations, the candidate from Bayelsa did not meet with all the laid down criteria for selection.
“Benue: The complainant from Benue, a male Foreign Service Officer, with two years two months (26 months) remaining period of service was dropped on gender consideration for the next most senior officer, a female, who has two years five months (29 months) remaining period of service.
“Kogi from the records, one of the two senior officers with the same service records, except for the slight difference in the remaining period of service, on the part of the one not selected (who is leaving 15 days earlier) before retirement, was dropped in favour of the one selected for nomination.
“Ondo, none of the three senior officers from the state satisfied all the criteria for selection.
“Osun, the officer nominated complied with the set down criteria for selection, while the most senior officer with only 12 months remaining period of service before retirement, was dropped for lack of adequate period of service.
“Plateau, none of the officers satisfied all the criteria for selection.
“Taraba, the Officer selected for nomination has satisfied the set down criteria for nomination and she is the most senior Officer from the State.”
Findings from the committee revealed that “the forty-seven (47) Career Ambassadorial nominees were carefully selected on the basis of Federal Character, seniority, gender consideration, Specialist Relevance, a Minimum of 30 months period of Service before retirement and competence, except for a few that have between 18 to 29 months remaining period of service.
“Officers from Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ondo, Plateau and other States not featured on the list, did not meet the criteria approved for selection.
“That the Executive is working on the list of non-Career Ambassadorial nominees, which will make up for the states that were not represented in the current list. The list will accordingly balance the perceived lopsidedness. The Minister and SGF expressed strong will that ‘Mr. President will ensure that each state of the Federation is represented in line with the principles of federal character’.
“That the complexities in the selection of the non-Career Ambassadors whose records are not readily available for scrutiny contributed to the submission of only the list of Career Ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, instead of a combined list.”
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