Senate Spokesman Faults Buhari’s Nomination List for NHRC

• Says it’s lopsided

By Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Basiru Ajibola, has faulted the nomination of the chairman and members of the Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ajibola expressed his dissatisfaction during Thursday’s screening of the nominees by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.

The Senate had on March 24 during plenary deliberated on President Buhari’s request for the confirmation of nominations of the chairman and members-designate of the NHRC.

It thereafter referred the president’s list to its committee for further legislative action and mandated it to screen the nominees and report back to plenary.

The screened nominees are Salamatu Suleiman (Chairman); Beatrice Jedy-Agba (member), 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), Azubike Nwakwenta (member), Jamila Isah (member), Idayat Hassan (member) and Anthony Ojukwu (Executive Secretary) of the NHRC.

Speaking during the screening, the Senate spokesman said he is not in 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 a single member.

The chairman of the committee however assured Senator Basiru that the issue raised will be addressed at the committee meeting before the submission of the report to Senate next week.