National Assembly.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs screening the 46 ambassadorial nominees, concluded the exercise on Wednesday.

In her address at the end of the two-day screening, Chairman of the committee, Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu, commended the members for their dedication and commitment.

She assured that the committee would work on the report of the screening promptly and transmit it to the senate in plenary for confirmation.

Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, in reaction, expressed the presidency’s appreciation on the completion of the exercise.

He acknowledged the commitment of the committee to the assignment, saying that it carried out the exercise in two days as against three days scheduled for it.

“You stressed yourself to conclude it and we appreciate the effort,’’ he said.

The nominees who were screened are Dr Uzoma Emenike (Abia), Aminu Iyawa (Adamawa), Maj.-Gen. Godwin Umo (retd) (Akwa Ibom), Christopher Okeke (Anambra), Yusuf Tuggar (Bauchi) and Baba Madugu (Bauchi).

Others are Brig.-Gen. Stanley Diriyai (Bayelsa), Prof. Steven Ugba (Benue) and Baba Jidda (Borno), Dr Etubom Asuquo (Cross River), Mr Frank Efeduma (Delta), Jonah Odo (Ebonyi) and Uyagwe Igbe (Edo).

Also screened are Dr Eniola Ajayi (Ekiti), Maj.-Gen. Chris Eze (Enugu), Suleiman Hassan (Gombe), Justice Sylvanus Nsofor (Imo), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), Ahmed Bamali (Kaduna), Deborah Iliya (Kaduna) and Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir (Kano).

Mr Haruna Ungogo (Kano), Justice Isa Dodo (Katsina), Mohammadu Barade (Katsina), Prof. Tijjani Bande (Kebbi), Prof. Y. O. Aliu (Kogi) Nurudeen Mohammed (Kwara), Prof. Mohammed Yisa (Kwara), Justice George Oguntade (Lagos) and Modupe Irele (Lagos) are among the nominees.

The names also included Musa Muhammad (Nasarawa), Ahmed Ibeto (Niger), Suzanne Folarin (Ogun), Jacob Daodu (Ondo), Afolahan Adeyemi (Osun), Maj.-Gen. Ashimiyu Olaniyi (retd) (Oyo), James Dimka (Plateau) and Dr Haruna Abdullahi (Plateau).

Mr Orji Ngofa (Rivers), Sahabi Gada (Sokoto), Kabiru Umar (Sokoto), Hassan Ardo (Taraba), Goni Bura (Yobe), Garba Gajam (Zamfara), Cpt. Bala Mairiga (Zamfara) and Ibrahim Ugbada (FCT) were screened.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Jan.12 re-transmitted the nominees’ list to the senate for confirmation after it was first rejected.(NAN)