BREAKING: Senate Confirms Buratai, Olonisakin, Others As Non-career Ambassadors

The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the immediate past service chiefs as non-career ambassadors.

Naija News reports that those confirmed are former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; former Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin; former Chief of Air Staff, Ibok Ibas; and former Chief of Naval Staff, Abubakar Sadique.

Recall that  Buhari had recommended the appointment of all immediate past service chiefs as non-career ambassadors.

The President called on the lawmakers to give quick attention to the recommendation.

On February 10, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, directed the committee on Foreign Affairs to screen the immediate past service chiefs who had been nominated for appointment by the President.

Lawan gave the committee two weeks to conclude the assignment and present a report to the lawmakers during plenary.

Meanwhile, thirty-one foreign missions in Nigeria have been charged by a coalition of civil societies to disqualify the immediate past service chiefs and also declare the former service chiefs as non-grata in their countries.

The coalition forwarded the petition to the foreign missions through their Ambassadors and High Commissioners as well as the Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the United Nations.

The coalition said the step was taken due to the alleged war crimes, massacres, and gross human rights violations perpetrated by the former military chiefs, particularly Buratai, under whose watch the Obigbo, Lekki, and Zaria massacres, among others, took place at various times.

The countries petitioned to include the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Sweden.

Others include the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the United States, Israel, Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico.