Old Age, Failure to Recite National Anthem & More: How Senate Rejected Buhari's New Ambassadorial Nominees

The Nigerian Senate has on  Thursday, confirmed 45 persons as non-career ambassadors and rejected two, following their nominations by President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

The confirmations and rejections followed a report presented by the chairperson of the committee on foreign affairs, Monsurat Sunmonu (APC-Oyo), which had screened the 47 nominees.

 

 

The Senate rejected the nominations of Sylvanus Nsofor, a retried judge, from Imo State; and Jacob Daodu, from Ondo State, in line with the recommendation of the committee.

 

It was gathered that during his screening, the 82-year-old Nsofor, refused to recite the national anthem and questioned the Senators’ reason for asking him for the recital.

 

 

Mrs. Sunmonu who pushed back a question on the nominee's suitability for the job of an envoy in view of his age, also quoted the nominee as saying the Senate should ask Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe how he was leading his country despite his very advanced age.

 

The other nominee, Daodu was said to have been dropped because of a negative report from the State Security Service that indicted for corruption.