Senate confirms seven Consumer Protection nominees, rejects Apata

• forwards Buhari’s request for confirmation of INEC chair, others to relevant Committees

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the appointments of seven nominees to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

This was just as the Upper Chamber rejected Mrs. Yinka Osoba Akpata as Executive Commissioner to represent the South West on the Commission.

The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (PDP- Osun East), in his presentation said that the panel recommended Akpata’s rejection as a result of her failure to appear before the Committee for screening.

The nominees confirmed are: Barr. Emeka Nwakpa, Chairman (South-East); AVM Wakili Abdullahi Ahmed, Non-Executive Commissioner (North-West); Adamu Ahmed Abdullahi, Executive Commissioner (North-East); Babatunde Irukera, and Executive Vice Chairman/CEO (North-Central).

Others include: Ben Obi Nwoye, Non-Executive Commissioner (South-East); Theophilus Oyebiyi, Non-Executive Commissioner (North-Central); and Ayang Francis Eyam, Non-Executive Commissioner (South-South).

Meanwhile, the upper chamber has forwarded six confirmation requests by President Muhammadu Buhari to relevant committees for further legislative work.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, during plenary referred the President’s request for the confirmation of the Chairman and Members of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to the Committee on Youths and Sports.

Also referred were the requests for the confirmation of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission; and nomination of Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru as INEC Commisioner.

Both requests were referred to the Senate Committee on INEC chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC – Kano South).

In a related development, the confirmation of the nominations of members of the Governing Council of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPADEC); and appointments of Chairman, Vice Chairman and Commissioner for the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission were both referred to the Senate Committee on Power.

Also, the confirmation of the nomination of Chief Onyemuche Nnamani as Member of the Police Service Commission was referred by the Senate President to the Committee on Police Affairs.

The Committees were all given four weeks to report back to the Senate.