President Goodluck Jonathan has forwarded the names of the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Osita Benjamin Chidoka, to the Senate for screening and confirmation as a minister. The President also asked the Senate to confirm Dr Sulaiman Olanrewaju Abubakar as minister. Abubakar, a political science lecturer at the University of Abuja, is to represent Kwara State in the Federal Executive Council, while Chidoka is to represent Anambra State in the council. Jonathan, in a letter to the Senate President, David Mark, which was read on the floor of the Senate yesterday stated that, “In accordance with section 147(2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I hereby submit the names of Mr. Osita Benjamin Chidoka and Dr. Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman representing Anambra and Kwara States respectively for confirmation as ministers by the distinguished members of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Their curriculum vitae are attached herewith,” the letter reads. While the Corps Marshal, Chidoka is expected to be assigned to the Aviation Ministry, which was last held by Princess Stella Oduah from Anambra State, Dr. Abubakar may likely be assigned to the National Planning Ministry because another minister, Dr. Danagogo from Rivers State has already taken over the Sports Ministry, which was last held by Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, from Kwara State. Screening and confirmation of the two new ministerial nominees may be carried out by the Senate on Wednesday next week before embarking on its annual long recess next week Thursday. Also in another letter to the Senate President, Jonathan asked the lawmakers to confirm the Acting Director General of the Nigeria Pension Commission, PENCOM, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu as the substantive Director General of the commission. This was also as the President requested the Senate to confirm Mr Ebenezer Foby as a Federal Commissioner. Foby is to represent the South-South geo-political zone in the commission. In the letter to Mark, the President wrote, “Section 16(1) of the Pension Reform Act, provides that the commission shall comprise a part-time Chairman, a Director General (DG), four commissioners and seven part-time members. Section 16(3) of the Act also provides that appointments of the chairman, the DG and the other members of the commission other than ex- officio members shall be made by the President, subject to the confirmation by the Senate. Meanwhile, there is hope for the re-opening of Nigerian public polytechnics, as new Minister of Education and former Governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, met with leadership of striking lecturers of the institutions in Abuja, yesterday. The teachers, under the auspices of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, have been on strike since October last year over unresolved demands from government. Welcoming the minister, ASUP President, Dr Chibuzor Asomugha, expressed regret over the state of the nation’s public polytechnics and expressed hope that the Shekarau, a former Chief Lecturer, was expected to proffer solutions to the impasse. According to him, all but one of the union’s demands were expected to strengthen the polytechnics, while only demand for payment of the lecturers’ backlog of arrears was the only benefit directly benefitting the teachers financially. He assured the minister that ASUP was ready to return to classrooms if government showed concern to challenges facing the polytechnics. Responding, the minister said he would offer his best to see the crisis resolved; but requested for more time to study the issues on ground. Speaking further, Shekarau added: “I am happy you noted that I am just coming in; and I will need a little more time to study the issues on ground and see how much we can get out of all the issues you raised. The issues you have raised as far as I am concerned are not totally insurmountable. They are issues that will lead to dialogue, understanding with the spirit of give and take.” He however, urged the lecturers to return to class by giving him “benefit of the doubt while dialogue continues.” He promised not to let them down. In an interview with journalists, Asomugha said: “Our demands are not really complicated as it looks. All we ask government to do is to make a commitment to dialogue, a commitment to assurance; that is what we are asking government to do. There are issues on ground, we are not negotiating anymore; we have reached understanding on these issues. Let government give us concrete timetable about how these issues will be resolved.” On the position of ASUP, given the plea of the new minister that the union calls off the strike, Asomugha stated: “We have a background of being asked on the trust of some other government officials of which we have done.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 03:24:25 +0000
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