Endless wait for Senate confirmation

Two weeks ago President Muhammadu Buhari sent a list of 46 non-career ambassadors to the Senate for confirmation. The list joined the earlier list of career ambassadors that Buhari sent to the Senate last June. Languishing along with it in the Senate is the nomination of Ibrahim Magu for confirmation as Chairman of the Economic […]

Two weeks ago President Muhammadu Buhari sent a list of 46 non-career ambassadors to the Senate for confirmation. The list joined the earlier list of career ambassadors that Buhari sent to the Senate last June. Languishing along with it in the Senate is the nomination of Ibrahim Magu for confirmation as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Nominated along with him for confirmation were EFCC board members. There are also nominations to the boards of Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC), Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) national commissioners as well as commissioners of the National Population Commission (NPC), all awaiting Senate confirmation. Similarly, Justices Sidi Dauda Bage and Paul Adamu Galinje also await confirmation as Justices of the Supreme Court.
The list of 47 career ambassadorial nominations, which was sent on June 9, has spent five months in the Senate.  The list of five EFCC commissioners including Magu has languished in the Senate for three months while the nominations for seven NERC commissioners, six INEC national commissioners and five NPC commissioners have been in the Senate for more than a month each. Given the significance of the agencies concerned, there is obvious need for the Senate to speed up the confirmation process in order to smooth the path for the proper functioning of these agencies.  NERC for instance cannot function without its board, which must take decisions on major electricity tariff issues. Even though INEC has achieved a quorum with six national commissioners, it needs the full complement of twelve national commissioners to function effectively. 
It is true that there are pockets of disappointments with some of the nominations.  Recently, for example, APC governors went to President Muhammadu Buhari to protest the nominations of some of the ambassadorial nominees. The President asked the governors to put their proposed changes in writing and there were reports that they have done so. Still, the Senate can take action on the career ambassadors’ list while the other one is being sorted out. Much time has already been lost, with all our embassies and high commissions abroad going for more than a year without ambassadors and high commissioners.
One suspected issue of contention between the senators and the presidency is that of constituency projects. Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal has clearly indicated that there wouldn’t be such projects this year.  Since these projects are written into the 2016 budget, we agree with the lawmakers that the Presidency must implement them or seek changes to the appropriation act. Our lawmakers put much store to these projects, the funds for which they are often accused of misappropriating for their selfish ends.
Both arms of government must rise beyond their quarrels and work in the interest of the nation and of the people for whom they are there to work.  This bears repeating because our government officials, after every election, get lost in their own worlds, fighting their own battles and making their own deals without factoring in the people’s interests. The Presidency must also wake up to its responsibilities.  There are no reasonable explanations for the prolonged delays in making appointments. Apart from the aforementioned ones, there are many important agencies whose activities are hampered because the president has not reconstituted their boards. They include Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation [NDIC], Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and National Universities Commission, NUC.  The presidency took forever to regularize certain acting appointments.  Ibrahim Magu was at EFCC for six months before his name was sent to the Senate for confirmation.  He has now spent one year in office without confirmation.
Nigerians are tired of buck passing and foot dragging. Top officials cannot continue to collect fat salaries and allowances when they cannot do the most basic tasks we expect of them.