The Senate Committee on Youth and Sports has been given one week to probe the appointment of Shuaibu Ibrahim as the new Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Dino Melaye (Kogi-PDP), who moved the motion for the probe, said the appointment was an ‘infraction’ of existing laws. Mr Ibrahim’s appointment was announced via a statement signed by the Army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, on April 26.
The statement noted that the former DG, Sulaiman Kazaure, had been deployed to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre as Senior Resource Person. In his debate, Mr Melaye argued that the appointment of an NYSC DG was the sole responsibility of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said, “There has been an infraction perpetrated by the Chief of Army staff in appointing a new Director-General for the NYSC. According to Section 5 of the NYSC Act, A Director-General is to be appointed by the President. The Chief of Army Staff through signal removed the DG of NYSC and through signal appointed his replacement.
“The Act gave authority to the President. Previous Directors-General were appointed by the President. We are not in a banana republic. NYSC is not a formation of the Nigerian Army but on the enactment of the National Assembly.”
His prayer, that the Senate Committee on Youth and Sports investigate the issue, was adopted via a voice vote. An additional prayer by Mao Ohuabunwa (Abia-PDP) that the appointment should be reversed was rejected by the lawmakers. “Let the committee establish if this is what happened and we will work based on the committee’s recommendation,” Senate President, Bukola Saraki, ruled on the prayer. Premium Times
Pix: Senate President, Bukola Saraki
