BUHARI PLEDGES TO SUPPORT LAKE CHAD COMMISSION.

President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to implement the recommendations of Environmental Audit Report on Lake Chad Basin Commission.

He made the resolve yesterday, after receiving the report at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Buhari pledged that Nigeria would continue to support the Lake Chad Commission in the discharge of its duties.

He restated Nigeria’s determination to offer effective leadership in fighting insurgency and tackling other environmental challenges of the Sahel region. 

The President, therefore, called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the domestication of the Lake Chad Basin Water Charter adopted by the Summit of the Authority of Heads of States and Governments in April 2012.

Buhari also demanded an explanation on the report of a study on the diversion of some rivers from Central African Republic into the Chad basin initiated by the military administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

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He said that the study, which gulped about five million dollars, was sponsored by Nigeria. The Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr Samuel Ukura, however absolved his office of blame. He explained that the report of the study identified construction of dams and excessive diversion of rivers as some factors responsible for the drying up Lake Chad. Mr Ukura also identified other factors like poor water management and failure to enforce penalties for the indiscriminate violation of the Lake Chad.

SENATE GRILLS NOMINATED MINISTERS TODAY.

President Muhammadu Buhari has forwarded the names of fifteen additional ministerial nominees to the senate for screening.   The names of the additional nominees will be made public by Senate President Bukola Saraki this morning.

President Buhari had on September 30th sent an initial 21-man list to the senate following a self imposed ultimatum to forward same to the National Assembly before the end of September.  The screening exercise will commence today in plenary, at the senate.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions yesterday announced the suspension of the petition against former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi. Chairman of the Committee, Senator Sam Anyanwu, said the decision to step down on the petition brought by Senator George Sekibo representing Rivers East, was reached as a result of a pending suit against the charges on Amaechi.    The former governor had appeared before the senate committee to defend his nomination.  Amaechi is facing stiff opposition from his state government who accuse him of embezzling over N70 billion, among other charges while in office. Earlier, another nominee, Hajiya Amina Ibrahim told the committee that she will be representing Gombe state in the Buhari cabinet and not Kaduna as widely reported. Senator Danjuma La’ah from Kaduna state had petitioned the senate leadership against Amina’s nomination to represent the state.  Amaechi and Amina were being grilled ahead of today’s screening by a committee of the whole.