Written by Leon Usigbe, Abuja Wednesday, 09 June 2010
THE Council of States on Tuesday unanimously approved the nomination of the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and one-time President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Attahiru Jega, as the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It came on a day the Council also approved the conferment of the highest honour in the land, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on President Goodluck Jonathan.
The endorsement of the new INEC boss followed deliberation by members of the council on the proposal submitted by President Jonathan on his appointment as well as that of Federal Commissioners and State Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) of the electoral body.
However, the names of the new commissioners were not made public after the meeting attended by all living former Nigerian leaders, including General Yakubu Gowon, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan and General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
According to Governor Adams Oshiomhonle of Edo State who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, 10 national commissioners and 18 Resident Electoral Commissioners were also approved as he revealed the Council’s commendation of the president for the manner of appointment.
He said “the council considered the recommendation of Professor Atahiru Jega for appointment as chairman of INEC and the council unanimously approved of it. We believe the president demonstrated courage and statesmanship in appointing someone who is not known to have any partisan political affiliation and a Nigerian that has distinguished himself in his present and past callings.
“The Council also commended the president for the quality of people nominated as national Electoral Commissioners, about 10 of them, as well as 18 other Resident Electoral Commissioners.
“The good thing about it is that Council was unanimous about these appointments because the people concerned were considered to be men and women of integrity.
“If you recognise the controversy over whether or not the president should appoint INEC chairman, the fact that we all accept that the President has exercised his power quite judiciously in appointing someone that most Nigerians will respect and appreciate and it will be a major push on the electoral reform line.
“The president also agreed that any of the existing Electoral Commissioners whose tenure has not expired but who might have been found wanting of any particular wrongdoing, those ones were proven will be promptly removed and replaced.
“I think with Council’s decision today, the recommendation will now go to the Senate for scrutiny and approval,” Governor Oshiomhole remarked.
Also speaking of the National Award for President Jonathan, General Gowon remarked that the President retained the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) which was conferred on him as vice-president because he could not award the GCFR to himself.
According to him, “having critically examined the need for the president to be awarded the national honour of GCFR, we, the former Heads of State and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria strongly advised and the Council accepted that President Ebele Jonathan, GCON, be awarded the honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
The governor also noted that the issue of petrol subsidy was also discussed and expressed the hope that deregulation would soon begin.
The man Attahiru Jega
Professor Attahiru Jega is a political scientist and is no greenhorn in Nigeria’s political environment, as he shot into prominence for his principled stance as the national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) between 1988 and 1994.
Jega, since November 2005, until his new appointment, was the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and had a number of publications to his credit.
In recognition of his intellectual odyssey in Nigeria’s democracy and contributions to nation-building, Professor Jega was honoured by the Federal Government with the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) award.
Describing one of his publications, Jega said “it is a selection of my intervention in debates, seminars and conferences over the last decade.”
His thought-provoking submissions at these fora had continued to be dominant themes in intellectual discourse by social scientists on the trials and tribulations of the post-colonial Nigerian State.
Jega bagged his Ph.D in Political Science from Northwestern University and rose to a professorship in that field at BUK. He was the founding director of the Centre for Democratic Research and Training, “Mambayya House,” which is housed in the family home of Malam Aminu Kano.
ASUU, under Professor Jega and the then Babangida government, negotiated the 1992 welfare agreement for increased salaries and improved funding for the university system.
Incidentally, when he was ASUU’s leader, immediate past INEC chairman, Professor Maurice, Iwu was the union’s deputy president.
Jega was also a member of the Justice Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee.
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