President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday announced the appointment of former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, as the next chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC) and appealed to the Senate to confirm his nomination.
Okiro will replace Mr. Parry Osayande, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, whose tenure expires soon.
The president also named a former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani, as the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Chairman-designate and Justice K.M.O. Kekere-Ekun as justice of the Supreme Court.
Kekere-Ekun’s nomination as a justice of the Supreme Court is based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Commission (NJC).
The president appealed to the Senate to confirm all the appointments with a sense of urgency.
Jonathan, in a letter to the Senate President, David Mark, said the appointment of Okiro was subject to Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which stipulates that appointments into the PSC shall be subject to Senate’s confirmation.
Other PSC nominees whose confirmation was being sought by the president are Yakubu Mohammed, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police from Katsina in the North-west; retired Justice Olufunke Adekeye (Osun, South-west); Aisha Tukur (Taraba, North-east); Mrs. Comfort Obi (Imo, South-east); Chief Gem Torngee (Benue, North Central) and Dr. Otive Igbuzor (Delta, South-south).
Members of the governing board of ICRC as contained in Jonathan’s letter to the Senate President are Mr. Aminu Dikko (Kaduna) as the director general; Mrs. Comfort Saro-Wiwa (Rivers), Mrs. Janet Adeyemi (Ondo), Mrs. Yabawa Wabi (Borno); Hon. Musa Elayo (Nasarawa) and Mr. A. U. Kanu (Abia).
He also implored the Senate to confirm the nomination of Mr. Adolphous Joe-Ekpe as the Director General of the National Lottery Commission in observation of Section (8) (1a) of the National Lottery Act 2005.
And in a surprise move, Jonathan announced the withdrawal of Adesoji Efuntayo whom he had earlier nominated as Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a fortnight ago and replaced him with Emmanuel Aremo.