Former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, for Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Chief Ernest Shonekan were conspicuously absent on Thursday’s Council of States meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
This is as the Senate President,
Bukola Saraki was hailed on arrival by the Sokoto State
governor, Aminu Tambuwal as he sauntered into the venue of the meeting.
As at the time the meeting
started few minutes after 11am before journalists left the venue only three
former Presidents, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Generals. Yakubu Gowon, and
Abdulsalami Abubakar were at the venue alongside President Muhammadu Buhari.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo arrived after the national anthem and the
opening prayers were said. The meeting was the third Council of States meeting
held under the democratic administration of President Buhari.
The Council of States meeting is
always attended by former Presidents or head of States, serving and former
Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, serving Senate President and Speaker, House of
Representatives as well as State governors. Aside President Buhari and the
three other past presidents, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Senate
President, Bukola Saraki and four former Chief Justices of Nigeria were seated
at the Council Chamber, the venue.
The past four CJN present are
Idris Kutigi, Alfa Balgore, Mariam Aluooma, and Muhammed Uwais, while the
serval CJN, Walter Onnoghen was absent, though unconfirmed report has it that
serving CJN is not a member of the Council of States. Also absent as at the
commencement of the meeting was the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Yakubu Dogara. Others also present at the meeting included state governors of
Adamawa, Benue, Kebbi, Jigawa, Delta, Lagos, Nasarawa, Abia, Sokoto, Imo,
Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Plateau, Ogun, Rivers, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Kaduna. The
meeting started when President Buhari arrived the Council Chamber venue of the
meeting and went round the Council chamber to shake hand with those present.
The first meeting under Buhari was held on the 21st October, 2015, while the
second was held in September 2016. The National Council of State is chaired by
President Buhari, with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as Deputy Chairman.
The opening prayers were said by
Gowon and Uwaise. The meeting is focusing on issues of insecurity in the
country as well as the coming elections in 2019. Officials from Independent
Electoral Commission (INEC) are around to brief the council. Obasanjo, who was
five minutes late, rushed when a minute silence was being observed in honour of
the late former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Mustapha. He then went
straight to shake hands with Buhari Senate President, Bukola Saraki and
Abubakar before taking his seat. The meeting was still in progress at the time
of filing this report. The deputy governors of Bayelsa and Enugu are also in attendance. The Council of
State is an organ of the Federal Government saddled with the responsibility of
advising the executive on policy making. Its duties include advising the
president in the exercise of his powers with respect to the National population
census and compilation, publication and keeping of records and other
information concerning the same; prerogative of mercy; award of national
honours; the Independent National Electoral Commission (including the
appointment of members of that Commission); the National Judicial Council
(including the appointment of the members, other than ex-officio members of
that Council); the National Population Commission (including the appointment of
members of that Commission). The council also advises the president whenever
requested to do so on the maintenance of public order and on such other matters
as the he may direct. It was gathered that the hailing of the Senate President,
Dr. Bukola Saraki by the Sokoto
State governor may not be
unconnected with the recent removal of the Chairman of Northern Governors
Forum, Senator Abdullahi Adamu on Wednesday by majority of senators from the
North and his replacement with Senator Aliyu Wammako, former governor of Sokoto
state.
