The Senate on Monday screened the newly appointed service chiefs. This is the first time it is happening since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999.
President Goodluck Jonathan had last week forwarded the names of the service chiefs to the senate for confirmation.
They are Chief of Defence staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh, Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Adesola Amosu.
At the screening exercise, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Defense, Senator George Sekibo said previous administrations had flouted Section 217 to 219 of the 1999 constitution by not sending the names of service chiefs to the senate for confirmation.
Sekibo said, “The screening exercise today therefore is in fulfillment of the provisions of the constitution and the Armed Forces Act 2004 (Cap A.20 of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) which has been flouted since it was enacted.
“This exercise we are performing today would satisfy the provisions of the constitution and law, and completely put our Armed Forces under our democratic norms.” he added
Senator Sekibo however said the committee would ascertain the competence of the officers in strategic military operations.
The leadership of the APC had through a communique read by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, last week directed their members in the National Assembly to block the passage of the budget, and the screening of new service chiefs and ministers.
