Senate confirms Chira as Auditor General, 10 INEC RECs…As Senate commends Tinubu for appointing experienced people into INEC

By Haruna Salami

The Senate at plenary on Wednesday confirmed Mr. Shaakaa K. Chira as Auditor-General for the Federation.

The confirmation followed a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.

Senator Bamidele urged the Senate to consider the request of President Tinubu for the confirmation of the nomination of Mr. Shaakaa K. Chira for Appointment as Auditor-General for the Federation in accordance with the provisions of Section 86 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended).

President of the 9th Senate, Ahmed Lawan in his remarks during the screening said the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation is the only office of government that should be empowered to fight corruption, just as he also called for the passage of the Audit Bill.

Senator Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa West), Chairman Senate Public Accounts Committee commended President Tinubu for “swiftly heeding the call of National Assembly to appoint a substantive Auditor General for the Federation.

Wadada said the nominee, Mr. Chirac sat for examinations and came first in both written and oral examinations.

He prayed that the president will assent to the Audit Bill when passed by the National Assembly and enforce it, adding that “SPAC is ready and willing to do the needful”.

When asked what is the major problem of the Auditor General’s office, Mr. Chirac said it boiled down to lack of funding as he revealed that the capital budget of the office in the 2034 budget is N62 million.

This made the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, the Chairman of Appropriation Committee in the 9th Senate to tell his colleagues that the budget comes from the executive arm of the government, adding “they didn’t want to fund them, I don’t know why.

Barau said if there is no improvement in the 2024 budget, then the National Assembly can intervene from their end.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, supported that position when he said the legislature has “a duty to keep the office alive for the purpose of transparency and fighting corruption”.

In another development the Senate confirmed the nomination of the following persons for appointment as Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

President Bola Tinubu said in his letter that their nomination was in accordance with the provisions of Section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended).

Those confirmed are Mr. Etekarnba Umoren (Akwa Ibom), Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo), Barr. Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti), Mr. Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji (Gombe), Mr. Shehu Wahab (Kwara), Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindem (Lagos), Mr. Aminu Kasimi Idris (Nasarawa), Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq (Niger), Dr. Anugbum Onuoha (Rivers) and Mr. Abubakar Fawa Dambo (Zamfara).

Most of the nominees were experienced in electoral duties as they have worked in INEC in different capacities.

Therefore, the Senate resolved to commend President Tinubu for appointing people of experience and integrity into the electoral body “to reduce litigations after election”.