NAHCON Board: Senate ignores Sultan, confirm nominees

Senate of the Federal Republic yesterday set aside petitions against nominees of President Jonathan into the board of the National Hajj Commission and confirmed them as Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission.
President Jonathan had in a letter forwarded to the National Assembly this month, nominated Abdullahi Muktar Muhammad and eight others as Chairman and commissioners respectively in view of the expiration of tenure of the outgoing management of the commission on March 24, 2015.
Urgency of the request made the Senate to forward it to its committee on Foreign Affairs two weeks ago for consideration, upon which series of petitions were filed against the appointment of the nominees from both the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), headed by the Sultan of Sokoto , Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar and some other stake holders.
The NSCIA in its Petition, objected to the composition of the entire nominees presented to the senate for the appointments.
Amongst other reasons cited by the body in the petition, they claimed that contrary to the provision of the Act, the President made the nominations , and forwarded the list to the senate, without consultation with the NSCIA or the Sultan.
In substantiating its claim, NSCIA quotes section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act, 2006, which states that “The President shall, after due consultation, appoints persons of proven integrity as Chairman and members of the commission, subject to confirmation by the senate”.
In his own personal petition, one Abdulmumini Adamu, kicked against the nomination of Abdullahi Muktar Muhammad as the Chairman designate without given any specific reasons while earlier petition filed by the Association for the Promotion of Consumer Rights International was withdrawn before the committee looked into the petitions.
The committee in its recommendations after going through the petitions though dismissed that of Mallam Abdulmumini Adamu on account of non-appearance before it for substantiation but counseled the senate to use its discretion on the one filed by the NSCIA vis – a – vis confirmation of the appointments of the nominees.
The recommendation reads thus” The committee conducted the screening in line with its mandate from the Senate, but it is constrained to make specific recommendations on the nominees because of the sensitivity of the petition from the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) , which came half way into the exercise .
“The Senate is kindly requested to consider and give further directives and guidance on the matter”
The Senate while considering the report yesterday, ignored the NSCIA petition by confirming the appointments of the eight nominees as proposed by the President.
In a motion moved for setting aside the senate committee’s recommendation on the strength of the NSCIA petition, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma Egba said section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act 2006 quoted by NSCIA to back its petition does not specifically state that the body or the Sultan, should be consulted by the President for such appointments.
He said the section only urges the President to make due consultation without specifically mentioning any person or body for such consultations, which he believed the President must have done before forwarding the names of the nominees.
He therefore urged the Senate to confirm the appointment of the nominees since there are no proofs from any body or relevant institutions that the President did not carry out consultations before their nominations.
The Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi ( PDP Bauchi Central) , also rose in support of the senate leader that the nominees’ appointments should be confirmed by the senate regardless of the petitions filed against them.
He said : Mr President, I rise to concur with the submission of the Senate Leader that the nominees presented before us by the President Jonathan for appointment into the board of NAHCON should be confirmed , having been screened by our committee on Foreign Affairs and found worthy of the appointments.
“Personally these nominees as far as I am concerned, are men and women of proven integrity meant for the jobs for which they are nominated for, no petition should be allowed to stand in their ways please”.
Senator Kabiru Gaya ( APC Kano South) , also rose in support of confirmation of the embattled nominees upon which the Deputy Senate President, Ike EKweremadu who presided over the session put the confirmation to voice votes one after the other, with all sailing through except one Mrs Ada Mohammed S. ka’oje whose nomination was not announced for confirmation at all.
Those confirmed aside the Chairman Designate were, Yusuf Adebayo Ibrahim from Oyo state as Executive Commissioner, Abdullahi Modibbo Saleh from Adamawa State also as Executive Chairman.
Others who are all in the category of Commissioner ( Non Executive ) are. Alhaji Ibrahim Ezeani from Enugu State , Adeyemi Ademola Fuad from Osun State , Alhaji Enewari Zikeyi from Bayelsa State, Hajiya Aisha Muhammad from Kebbi State and Danjuma Salihu Usman from Adamawa state.
In his remarks after their confirmation, EKweremadu urges them to reposition NAHCON for better service delivery to Nigerian Muslim pilgrims by ensuring that none of them or even the country is embarrassed in any way during Holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.Observer.