The Senate Spokesman, Senator Basiru Ajibola, has protested against the lopsided nomination of Chairman and members of the Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The spokesman expressed the dissatisfaction with the nomination of President Buhari during the screening of nominees who appeared before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.
Speaking at the exercise, Ajibola said he was not in the Senate as an individual but as the representative of his people, lamenting that while some states get two slots in the board, some states do not have one.
The Chairman of the Committee however assured the aggrieved members that the issue raised will be addressed at the Committee meeting before the submission of the report to the Senate next week.
During the screening, the Committee acknowledged the outstanding performance of each nominee over the years, deep knowledge of human rights-related issues, and ability to answer questions put before them by Bamidele and other members of the Committee: Ike Ikweremadu, James Manager, Chukwuka Utazi, Ajibola, Seriake Dickson as well as Gabriel Suswan.
It could be recalled that on March 24 during plenary, the Senate deliberated on President Buhari’s request for the confirmation of nominations of Chairman and members designate of the National Human Rights Commission.
The appointments were made pursuant to sections 3 (2) and (3) of the National Human Rights Commission (Amendment) Act 2010, with particular reference to submission (3) paragraphs (a) and (b).
After deliberations of the requests, the Senate referred it to its Committee for further legislative action and mandated it to screen the nominees and report back with recommendations.
The screened Nominees are; Salamatu Suleiman (Chairman); Beatrice Jedy-Agba (Member); AMB. Umar Zainab (Member); Dafe Adesida(Member); Joseph Mmamel (Member); Ahmad Fingillia (Member); Kemi Okeyanda (Member); Abubakar Mohammed (member); Femi Okeowo(member); Sunny Daniel(member) Barr. Agabaidu Jideani(member); Nella Rabbana (SAN)(member); Azubikwe Nwakwenta (member); Jamila Isah(member); Idayat Hassan (member); and Anthony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission.
