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The Senate on Tuesday withheld its approval for the nominees of
Abia and Enugu to the board of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation
Commission (RMFAC), while approving 21 others.

The approval for both nominees, who were selected by the
president to fill vacant positions in the commission, was held back on the
request of the Senate president, David Mark, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu,
respectively.

According to the Senate president, Chris Adighije, the Abia
State nominee, is his personal friend, and he needed more time to clarify some
issues with him and report back to the Senate, perhaps, within the week before
his nomination is confirmed.

The Enugu State nominee, Uche Christopher Odika, also have some
outstanding issues with the Enugu State senators. Mr. Ekweremadu requested that
the Senate stand down the approval of his appointment, pending the
determination of the issues which bothers on objections to his nomination.

“We should allow the Enugu caucus to settle their issue and
report back to the House within the week,” the Senate president said.

“That of Abia; he is my personal friend, and there is information
that I want to clarify and report back to the House within the week. I have
consulted with the senators from Abia State about it,” Mr. Mark said.

The suspension of the approval of both nominees elicited
objections from members of the Senate committee on national planning, economic
affairs, and poverty alleviation, headed by Zainab Kure (PDP, Niger State),
which had earlier screened all the nominees and forwarded their names –
including the two dropped nominees – for approval.

The approval of the nomination of the remaining members of the
commission saw the emergence of Elias Nwalem Mbam, an engineer from Ebonyi
State, as the chairman of the commission, and 20 others as members. Five out of
the 20 members were, however, re-appointed for their second term on the
commission.

The reappointed nominees include Ignatius Amodu (Kogi); Otumba
Oladeji Ariyibi (Osun); Yusuf Pam (Plateau); Isa Geidam (Yobe); Muhammed Jabbi
Maradun (Zamfara); and Saidu Mohammed (Gombe).

Too old

Some senators did oppose the approval of all the nominees,
arguing that they are either too old or not just fit for the job, considering
their educational background and method of selection from the states.

“Most of the members graduated either in 1972 or 1979,” Ahmed
Lawal argued.

“I know they may say they have experience, but today’s financial
sector requires fresh brain,” Mr. Lawal said.

Abubakar Gada (PDP, Sokoto State) added that it is the politicisation of
such appointments at the state level that produces old men all the time. He
called for the review of nominees’ appointment methods “other than that, we
will continue to recycle old people who will see their nomination as a source
of livelihood.”