President Muhammadu Buhari has reappointed Abike Dabiri-Erewa for a second term as the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).
The notice of her reappointment was contained in a letter written by the President to the Senate, requesting that the Upper Chamber confirm her reappointment.
In November 2018, the President first named Dabiri-Erewa as NIDCOM chair. She was the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora before the appointment.
Dabiri-Erewa was also a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in Lagos from 2003–2015.
While she was in the House of Representatives, Dabiri-Erewa chaired the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs.
Meanwhile, President Buhari also wrote a separate letter to the Senate seeking confirmation of the appointment of six federal commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to fill the existing vacancies in the states.
The nominees are Ayogu Eze, Peter Okpara, Hauwa Aliyu, Rajiya Ayuba, Kolawole Adebola, and Ismailia Agaka.
Furthermore, the red chamber has mandated its committee on interior to investigate the circumstances causing the delay in the issuance and renewal of passports by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The Senate has also asked its committee on interior to probe the contract for the printing of passports by the NIS.
The Senate issued these directives to its committee on interior at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday following a motion by Senator Uche Ekwunife, who said Nigerians are facing hardship and stress in getting their passports.
She explained that despite the six-week timeline given by the NIS to process passports, Nigerians now spend between three and six months to get them.
The lawmaker further noted that it has become extremely difficult for passports to be processed in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja, and this is creating a situation where Nigerians who reside in those states now have to travel to other states in the country to process their passports.
