5 September 2008
Lagos — Former governor of Lagos State, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd), is set to replace former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali, as Nigeria's High Commissioner to South Africa, 10 months after his nomination as an ambassador.
Sources close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja that Marwa's agrément had been received by Nigeria.
The new envoy has diplomatic experience as defence adviser for Nigerian ambassadors at the United States (US) and the United Nations (UN) respectively.
"Necessary arrangements would soon be put in place for him to depart, to assume duty in Pretoria after presenting his Letters of Credence to the South African President," the sources said.
Ali, a retired Colonel and former PDP Chairman, was initially posted to South Africa. Marwa's travail began in November 2007 when Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Jibril Aminu, excluded him from the list of Ambassadorial nominees for alleged adverse security reports.
Another nominee excluded was the former Minister of Aviation, Dr. Kema Chikwe, who has since assumed duty as Nigeria's Ambassador to Ireland.
Also excluded were the former Minister of Defence, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, who later stepped down and Senator Polycarp Nwite, who is currently Nigeria's High Commissioner to Botswana.
Aminu had said the nominees who were not screened had adverse security reports against them from the State Security Service (SSS).
He waved the report contained in an envelope to the Senate in plenary and called for a closed session to discuss the matter.
But the Senate emerged from the closed session and mandated Aminu and his Committee members to screen the three nominees, while Kwankwaso had withdrawn his nomination.
On November 26, 2007, the Committee screened the trio of Marwa, Chikwe and Nwite. The screening was another round of drama until the 12-man committee recommended the trio for confirmation, thereby paving the way for their posting to various Nigerian missions.
Born on September 9, 1953 in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Marwa attended the Nigerian Military School in Zaria and the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna.
He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army Reconnaissance Corps before moving to the Armoured Corps.
Marwa has an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Pittsburg and an M.A. in Public Administration from Harvard University.
He has served Nigeria as a troop leader, a squadron captain, a squadron leader, a Deputy Assistant Adjutant/Quartermaster-General and a Brigade Major (23 Armoured Brigade). He was the academic registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy and as a Lieutenant Colonel, served as the Deputy Defence Adviser (Army) in the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC.
Marwa was recalled from this position in 1990 to serve as the Governor of Borno State. In 1992, he became the Defence Adviser to the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the UN before being recalled again, this time to govern Lagos State.
Upon retirement from the army, Marwa founded Albarka Airlines and the Buba Marwa Endowment.
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