The Senate, yesterday, confirmed the nomination of Aishah Ahmad and Edward Lametek Adamu as deputy governors of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Senate also confirmed the appointment of three out of four persons nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN and rejecting one.
The confirmed MPC members are Professor Adeola Festus Adenikunji, Dr. Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi and Dr. Robert Chikwendu Asogwa. However, the apex legislative chamber rejected the appointment of Dr. Asheikh A. Maidugu, and asked Buhari to submit a fresh nomination to the Senate for confirmation for the job. The Senate made the confirmation after it received and considered the report of its Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions which screened the nominees.
The report was presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Rafiu Adebayo (APC, Kwara South). While presenting the report, Adebayo told the chamber that the two CBN deputy governor appointees satisfied the committee when interviewed, saying that security reports on them from relevant agencies were also satisfactory.
On the rejection of Maidugu, the lawmaker explained that the nominee was also interviewed, declaring that the committee was not satisfied with his responses.
“The nominee was interviewed by the committee and he responded to the questions asked by the members, but the committee was dissatisfied with his response to the independence required for each member of the MPC and concerned that a regular civil servant ladened with bureaucracy and redtapism may not be independent in his judgement on each crucial decision of the MPC that affect directly the whole economy,” he stated.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, noted that the confirmation of the appointees was coming at a time the nation’s economy was facing critical challenges. While congratulating the appointees for their new positions, he advised them to liaise with the CBN governor to stabilise the economy and normalise foreign exchange as well as enhance agro develop ment.
Responding to a question at a press briefing as to whether the Senate would also lift embargo on other nominees pending confirmation, the spokesman for the chamber, Dr. Aliyu Sabi, said that it was only for the appointments into the CBN and the MPC that the embargo was partially lifted. He, however, expressed optimism that all the controversies between the Senate and the Presidency, which led to the embargo, would be resolved in no distant time so that other nominees could be confirmed.
Ahmad, Adamu and four others were earlier nominated for appointment as CBN deputy governors and members of MPC by President Buhari, but their confirmation was delayed by the Senate after it placed embargo on all presidential nominees due to unresolved contention between the apex chamber and the Presidency on the power of the parliamentarians to confirm certain presidential nominations.
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