Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs will, tomorrow, meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geof­frey Onyeama, over claims that some states were omitted from the ambassadorial list sent to the chamber for approval by President Mu­hammadu Buhari. Two members of the committee, Enyinnaya Abaribe and Sonni Ogbuoji, who confirmed that the minister would appear before the lawmakers, could not, however, establish whether Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir Lawal, would also be at the meeting. Onyeama and Lawal were also expected to explain to the lawmakers the perceived irregularities in the list of nominees, including the alleged selection of some junior officers in foreign service for ambassadorial appoint­ments instead of their superiors. However, the two public servants did not meet with the committee as scheduled before the National Assembly went on the short recess. Dariye had, while making his submissions, observed that the ambassadorial list was full of omissions and irregularities and should be corrected before the Senate could consider it for approval. He alleged that, in his state, Plateau, those nominated by the president who were not qualified as senior career officers in the foreign service from the state were left out, while their junior counterparts were picked. The prayer was adopted, leading to the invitation of the minister and the SGF.