The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to post former service chiefs to neighbouring countries as ambassadors.
Lawan stated this after the Senate at plenary confirmed the ex-service chiefs as ambassadors-designate.
The former service chiefs confirmed are Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin (retd), Ekiti; Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), Borno; Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), Cross River; Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd), Bauchi; and Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Usman (retd), Kano.
The Senate President advised the executive to deploy them to countries where their experiences as former military officers would be required.
Lawan said, “Our appeal to the executive is to make sure that we utilise their experiences as military men to the best, because we should be able to post them to countries where they can be much more useful in their engagements as ambassadors.
“Without prejudice to what the executive will do, the new ambassadors-designate should be posted to neighbouring countries where we need to fight the Boko Haram insurgency and banditry.
“Because of their experience in the field, they should be able to interact very closely and sufficiently to advise and create the atmosphere for working together, for partnership and cooperation between Nigeria and those countries.”
He pointed out that the Senate resolution for the removal of the former chiefs was not related to Buhari’s request for the red chamber to confirm them as ambassadors-designate.
The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Muhammad Bulkachuwa, in his presentation, said their appointments were made in line with Section 171(40) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, demanded explanation for the dismissal of the petitions by the committee, particularly against the backdrop of the Senate’s resolution calling for their removal as service chiefs.
