The Senate today dismissed a story published by an online
medium, SaharaReporters, that it Inadvertently announced names of Ambassadorial
nominees who are members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as it said
the only letter on the issue from President Muhammadu Buhari requesting for
screening of the ambassador nominees did not specify that any of them is
representing the intelligence community.
In a statement by Senate spokesman, Senator Sabi Abdullahi,
the Senate said its President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki read the contents of
the communication on the nominations as forwarded by President Buhari and as
demanded by its rule.
"The letter from the President only listed the
ambassador nominees without any indication of whether any of them is from NIA
or other agency. The Senate President read the letter as demanded by the rule
of the Senate. The only other letter that came on the issue was to correct the
fact that the name of one of the nominees was mentioned twice on the list.
" if anybody is looking for fault on the reading of the
list, that person should look elsewhere and far from the Senate. In fact, the
Senate leadership has been informed that the list usually does not distinguish
who and who is from the NIA until during the period of the screening when the
Minster of Foreign Affairs comes to the Senate to provide information on who is
who.
"The SaharaReporters story is merely raising false
alarm as nobody knows who is who on the list. This is another indication of the
news medium trying to find faults and malign the character of individuals
unjustly. It is also a demonstration of its penchant for stoking fire of
disagreement between the executive and the legislature.
"We use this opportunity to call on journalists to
demonstrate more caution, sensitivity and sense of responsibility in reporting
issues that border on national security and international image", he said.
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