Seasoned lawmakers with vast experience in legislative business in the House of Representatives will grill the recently appointed service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu on Monday.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports the panel which was constituted last Tuesday at plenary by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, will be headed by the chairman of the Committee on Defence in the 9th House, Rep. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos).
According to the Speaker, the eight principal officers of the House from the majority and minority parties would be part of the ad-hoc committee.
The Majority Caucus has Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo) as Majority Leader; Rep.. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims (APC, Kogi), Deputy Majority Leader; Rep. Bello Usman Kumo (APC, Gombe), Chief Whip; and Rep.. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (APC, Ogun) as Deputy Chief Whip.
The Minority Caucus also has Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) as Minority Leader; Rep. Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP, Kano), Deputy Minority Leader; Rep. Ali Isa (PDP, Gombe), Minority Whip; and Rep. George Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra) as Deputy Minority Whip.
Consequently, the adhoc panel has scheduled a screening session with the newly appointed Service Chiefs on Monday, July 17, 2023.
The appointees to be screened by the committee are:
Maj. Gen. C.G Musa – Chief of Defence Staff
Maj. Gen. T. A. Lagbaja as Chief of Army Staff;
Rear Admiral E. A. Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff
And Air Vice Marshal H.B. Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff
TNG recalls that on June 19, President Bola Tinubu had approved the immediate retirement of the former Service Chiefs, ex-Inspector-General of Police and ex-Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service and appointed their successors.
The President had conveyed the nominations and request for confirmation to the National Assembly via a letter dated July 5, 2023, addressed to President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
The adhoc committee members have impeccable track records from previous assemblies as they are known not to sweep hard facts under the carpet or compromise their positions.