Senate Asks Labour Minister To Cancel NDITF Recruitment bY BODE GBADEBO AND MBACHU GODWIN NNANN

The Senate Committee on Communications has screened commissioner-nominees for the governing council of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Presenting the nominees to the committee for screening, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Senator Ita Enang said the nominees have fulfilled all requirements for screening and proven to have garnered experiences in their fields of endeavours.

Those screened are Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye – chairman (representing South West); Senator Ifeanyi Ararume – non executive commissioner (South East); Mr Sunday Dare – executive commissioner, stakeholders management (South West); Aliyu Abubakar – non executive commissioner (North East); Mr Clement Omeiza Baiye- non executive commissioner (North Central); Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla – non executive commissioner (South South).

While two nominees who are former Senators were asked to take a bow and leave in line with the Senate tradition, other members took turn to answer questions posed by the committee.

The nominees promised to bring  their wealth of experiences to bear in running the affairs of the commission.

They also promised to ensure strict regulations and enforcement of standard operations in the communication sector of the country.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, congratulated the nominees on their nomination and commended the Senator Enang for his commitment and painstaking effort in ensuring that the nominees adhered to the ethos and demands of the committee.

In another development, a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Labour and Employment has asked the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, to cancel the recruitment exercise earlier conducted by the Nigerian Deposits Insurance Trust Fund (NDITF)

The committee chaired by Senator Suleiman Nazif ordered the agency to conduct fresh recruitment exercise to reflect federal character principle.

Nazif said the committee’s decision was borne out of the fact that the earlier exercise conducted by the agency did not reflect federal character as some states did not have a representative as their findings showed.

Earlier,the minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige told the committee that he was not in the country when the exercise was conducted.

He apologised to the committee on behalf of the agency and his ministry, saying that modalities were devised to correct the imbalance.

The meeting was attended by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters-Senate, Senator Ita Enang; Permanent Secretary and heads of the agencies.