5 September 2008
Lagos — BUBA Marwa, a retired Brigadier-General, is set to replace Sen Ahmadu Ali as Nigeria's High Commissioner to South Africa, 10 months after his nomination as an ambassador.
Credible sources close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that Marwa's agreement has been received by Nigeria.
"Necessary arrang-ements 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 source said.
It would be recalled that Ali, a retired Colonel and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, was initially posted to South Africa but he allegedly declined the posting.
Marwa's travail began in November 2007 when Sen. Jubril Aminu, chairman of the Senate Committee on foreign affairs excluded him from the list of Ambassadorial nominees for alleged adverse security reports.
Another nominee excluded was Dr. Kema Chikwe, former Minister of Aviation, who has since assumed duty as Nigeria's Ambassador to Ireland.
Also excluded were Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, former minister of Defence, who later stepped down and Sen. Polycarp Nwite, who is currently Nigeria's High Commissioner to Botswana.
Aminu had explained that the nominees who were not screened had adverse security reports against them from the State Secureity 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from the closed session and mandated Aminu and his committee members to screen the three nominees, while Kwankwaso had withdrawn his nomination.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, Chikwa 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.
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