PENCOM DG: Igbo Lawyers Ask Buhari to Withdraw Nomination
Lawyers under the aegis of the influential Otu Oka Iwu (Law Society)
have warned President Muhammadu Buhari against breaching the 1999
Constitution and the Pension Reform Act 2014, asking him to
“immediately withdraw” the nomination of Hajia Aisha Dahir-Umar to
replace disengaged Director General of the Pension Commission (PENCOM),
Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu.
In a statement by its President, Bar. Joy Nzube-Uzoeghelu, the lawyers
expressed “shock and dismay” at the “flagrant disregard of the
enabling law setting up the commission,” warning that “The
propensity of the Buhari Administration to ride roughshod over
Nigeria’s Constitution and extant laws is a grave threat to the rule
of law and to Nigeria’s unity.”
“It is deeply troubling that while the president was preaching unity
as a hallmark of Nigeria’s 60th anniversary celebration, he has
exhibited an unparalleled level of cronyism never witnessed in the
history of our country,” said the Igbo lawyers’ union. “In
practical terms, President Buhari has done more to foster centrifugal
forces in the country than to promote unity, even as he preaches
‘togetherness’ in commemoration of Nigeria’s 60th anniversary. The
latest nomination is yet another infamous example in a landscape
littered with consistent lopsided appointments.”
The law society stated that “save for mischief or unbridled
self-interest, there is unquestionable clarity from Section 21(2) of the
Pension Reform Act (PRA), 2014 that ‘In the event of a vacancy, the
President shall appoint a replacement from the geopolitical zone of the
immediate past member that vacated office to complete the remaining
tenure.’ Clearly, the nominee should come from the South East zone as
the former Director General who was ousted by the Federal Government
under hazy circumstances.
“The nomination equally breaches the 1999 Constitution, the Federal
Character Commission (Establishment, Etc) Act and the oath of office
sworn to by Mr. President to be fair to all Nigerians irrespective of
their ethnic affiliation.
“We call on President Buhari to exhibit the same level of
statesmanship and commitment to his Oath of Office and the Pension
Reform Act 2014 as shown by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006
when he removed then PENCOM Chairman, Mr. Fola Adeola and replaced him
with late Chief Wole Adeosun, also from the South West zone.”
Noting that there has been a “brazen and relentless deployment of
state apparati to systematically weed out Igbo technocrats from key
government agencies,” the lawyers warned the Senate “to refuse to be
used as a mere rubberstamp for egregious breaches of the Constitution
and extant laws.
“We call on the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service
Matters to throw out this provocative nomination, as it is designed to
further polarize the country and needlessly heat up the polity. There
have been a few instances where the Senate has not shown sufficient
diligence in its screening process. This is one instance where the
Senate and its leadership must assert the independence of this critical
arm of government and shake off any perception of being a mere
rubberstamp.”
Commending Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe for his
“principled stand” on the matter, the Igbo lawyers urged him to
“galvanize the South East Caucus of the National Assembly and your
colleagues who quest for justice, equity and fairness to resist any
attempt to railroad the Senate on this matter.”
Warning that it would resist any attempt to push through the nomination,
the law society said: “For the avoidance, we shall not hesitate to
activate other measures to vigorously resist any move to trample on the
Nigerian Constitution, the Federal Character principle and the enabling
law setting up the commission.”
It is recalled that President Buhari had submitted Umar’s name for
confirmation as the substantive Director-General of PENCOM. Other
nominees by President Buhari are Dr. Oyindasola Oluremi Oni (North
Central) chairman; Hannatu Musa (North West), Commissioner; Clement
Oyedele Akintola (South West) Commissioner; Ayim C. Nyerere (South
East), Commissioner and Charles Efe Sylvester Emukowhale (South South)
Commissioner.
