BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – The Senate has directed its Committee on Federal Character to investigate the alleged lopsided appointments into Federal Government agencies by the current administration.
The upper Chamber’s decision followed a Point of Order by Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, at plenary on Thursday.
Senator Ekweremadu had alleged that appointments by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration were clearly skewed in favour of a particular section of the country.
His point-of-order followed a letter from the President seeking the Senate to confirm the appointment of Mr Tunde Lemo, as Chairman, Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and six other members. Lemo is a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to the Deputy Senate President, some appointments by the present administration have flagrantly violated the principles of federal character, noting that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, provides that composition of government or its agencies should reflect the federal character in order to promote national unity.
Senator Ekweremadu said the appointments should be carried out such that there are no predominance of persons from a few states or from few ethnic or sectional groups in the government or in any of its agencies.
Also speaking on the issue, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP-Enugu) expressed sadness that the Buhari-led administration has continued with the impunity of lopsided appointments with recourse to the federal character principles.
The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, who rounded up on the contributions by Senators, referred the matter to its Committee on Federal Character for further investigation.
The Committee is expected to submit its findings to the plenary on Tuesday.
