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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The House of Representatives has constituted an ad-hoc committee to screen the recently appointed service chiefs.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, who announced members of the committee at Tuesday’s plenary, said all the eight principal officers of the House from the majority and minority parties would be part of the ad-hoc committee.
He also announced the immediate past chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Hon Babajimi Benson, as the co-chairman of the committee.
Members of the committee include Majority Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere (APC/Edo); Deputy Majority Leader, Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims (APC/Kogi); Chief Whip, Bello Usman Kumo (APC/Gombe); and Deputy Chief Whip, Adewunmi Onanuga (APC/Ogun).
Others include Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, (PDP/Rivers); Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP/Kano); Minority Whip, Ali Isa (PDP/Gombe); and Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi (LP/Anambra).
Tinubu had on June 19 appointed Maj.Gen. Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja as Chief of Army Staff.
The president also appointed Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar, as Chief of Air Staff; Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence and Kayode Egbetokun as Acting Inspector General of Police.
The president had in a letter to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, conveyed the nominations of the service chiefs to the National Assembly for their confirmation.