The Nigerian Senate has reacted to a series of backlashes following allegations that it confirmed the nomination of an EFCC board member whose credentials show he started school before he was born.
The trending case has to do with Yahaya Muhammad, one of the nominees for the board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed by the Senate as sent in by President Muhammadu Buhari.
As earlier reported by Naija News, the Curriculum Vitae of Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad showed that he started primary education a year before he was born.
While presenting his committee’s report for consideration by the upper legislative chambers on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti Corruption and Financial Crimes, Kwari Sulieman said all the nominees met the necessary requirements to hold public office.
But Senator Hassan Hadejia (APC Jigawa), drew the attention of his colleagues to what he described as “discrepancies” in Muhammad’s credentials, pointing out that the nominee’s credentials showed that he started schooling a year before he was born.
“He was born on 29th of September, 1969, and he started his primary school in 1968,” the lawmaker had said.
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over the day’s plenary, turned a blind eye to this observation, as he put Muhammad’s nomination to a voice vote and he was subsequently confirmed.
This drew a lot of criticisms from members of the public.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Senate committee on anti-corruption and financial crimes, Kwari Sulieman explained that the discrepancies causing such upheavals were just typographical errors.
He clarified that the nominee was born in 1959 instead of 1969.
Kwari also maintained that all the nominees were thoroughly scrutinized by the committee before they were recommended for approval by the general house.
“An observation was made by Senator Hadejia on the floor of the Senate to point out the typographical error misstating the year of birth to 1969 rather than 1959. The resume of the nominee, Alhaji Yahaya Mohammad, is hereby attached for public scrutiny,” the statement for clarification reads in part.
“The resumé of the nominee was not presented before the senate. Rather, it was the report of the senate committee on anti-corruption and financial crimes that was presented before the committee.”
Bibian Anekwe News reports that those confirmed alongside Muhammad are George Abang Ekungu, Secretary (Cross River); Luqman Muhammed (Edo); Anumba Adaeze (Enugu) and Kola Raheem Adesina (Kwara).
Source: Bibian Anekwe News
