The Nigerian Senate has provided further insight into why two President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominees of non-career ambassadors were rejected.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo Central), gave the insight.
Recall that the Senate on Thursday rejected the nomination of 82-year-old Justice Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor from Imo State and Jacob Igbekele Daodu from Ondo State.
According to Sunmonu, while Nsofor’s nomination was turned down over his refusal to respond appropriately to questions posed to him by the lawmakers, Daodu, was rejected based on the report of the Department of State Services, DSS, which indicted him for corruption.
Sunmonu explained further that Nsofor was not rejected because of his age.
Although she pointed out that Nsofor had walked into the screening arena looking frail and had to be supported as he was unable to walk by himself, Sunmonu said “his responses to the issues raised were either not answered or devoid of details and mostly satirical.
“For instance, we asked him to recite the national anthem, and he said we should have sent him a syllabus. A member of the committee asked him if he knew about IT.
“He asked what is IT, and I told him Information Technology. He said, ‘its for your age, not mine’.
“Also, when asked if he was not too old, he said we should go and ask Mugabe who is still walking. He has shown his temperament.
“The DSS report on Daodu described him as deceitful and someone who indulged in corrupt practices when he was Chairman of the Ondo State Road Maintenance Agency.
“Although the nominee has acquired experience from his previous work places, his responses during the screening exercise did not have direct bearing to the issues raised and were not satisfactory to the committee’s expectation.”
