Senate confirms Maduekwe, Mani, Olorunfemi, 81 others as ambassadors

FORMER Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe; National Financial Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Tukur Mani; immediate past Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Dr. Biodun Nathaniel Olorunfemi, 81 others were Thursday cleared by the Senate as ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Senator Matthew Nwagwu, Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, in his report did not recommend for confirmation three of the eighty-eight names submitted by President Goodluck Jonathan as ambassadorial nominees.
According to Nwagwu, those not cleared were Abubakar Bunu, Zamfara; Mrs. Sifawu Inu Umoru- Momoh, Edo and Mazi Okafor Ojih, Ebonyi.
There was, however, a great relief and soft landing for the three nominees who failed the screening as Senate President David Mark, however, asked the committee to rescreen them within seven days, given the sensitive nature of the assignment involved.
The Committee of the whole overturned the decision of the Committee where it cleared Abubakar Bunu, being a former member of the House of Representatives and two were at the end of the day referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for second a chance.
The Senate President, however, urged the Senate Committee to look at the prunning down of the number of ambassadors because of the financial situation of the country.
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