Reps raise panel to screen service chiefs

Forum 9 months ago

Reps raise panel to screen service chiefs

The House of Representatives has set up an ad hoc committee to screen the recently appointed Service Chiefs.

The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, on Tuesday, at the plenary, noted that the panel is made up of both members of the majority and minority caucuses.

The Speaker also stated that the immediate-past Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, would co-chair the committee.

The members of the committee include the Majority Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere (APC/Edo); Deputy Majority Leader, Abdullahi Halims (APC/Kogi); Chief Whip, Bello Kumo (APC/Gombe); and Deputy Chief Whip Adewunmi Onanuga (APC/Ogun).

Others include the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP/Rivers); Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki (NNPP/Kano); Minority Whip, Ali Isa (PDP/Gombe) and George Ozodinobi (LP/Anambra) as Deputy Minority Whip.

President Tinubu had on June 19 appointed Maj.Gen. Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja as Chief of Army Staff; Maj. Gen. C.G. Musa as Chief of Defence Staff; Rear Admirral E. A. Ogalla Chief of Naval Staff and AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff.

The President had in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, last week, conveyed the nominations of the Service Chiefs to the National Assembly for their confirmation.

The President similarly wrote to the Senate requesting the confirmation of the newly appointed Service Chiefs.

The Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who read the letter at the resumption of the plenary session on Tuesday, said the Service Chiefs would be screened by the entire Senate in its chamber at a yet-to-be-announced date.

Akpabio explained that since relevant Standing Committees of the Senate were not in place yet, the Service Chiefs would be screened by the Committee of the Whole of the Senate.

The President, in the letter, said the request was in compliance with the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act. Cap A20 Laws the Federation of Nigeria 2004.