The Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointment of former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Abayomi Fasina, as a non-career ambassador.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. announced the confirmation after lawmakers cleared the nominee by a voice vote at the Committee of the Whole.
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Mr Fasina, a professor, had earlier been screened by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Niger North Senator Sani Bello, in line with the Senate’s directive.
However, some Nigerians, particularly civil society organisations (CSOs), called for the withdrawal of his nomination, referencing sexual harassment allegations against him.
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On 7 July, a coalition of CSOs staged a protest at the entrance of the National Assembly, demanding the suspension of the screening and confirmation of the former vice-chancellor as a non-career ambassadorial nominee.
The coalition based its demand on allegations of sexual harassment, human rights violations and victimisation against Mr Fasina, which are currently subjects of litigation before the National Industrial Court in Lagos and Abuja.
The protesters urged the Senate to allow the courts to determine the cases before considering his confirmation.
The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) had also reported allegations that Mr Fasina sexually harassed a former colleague at the university, Folasade Adebayo, an engineer and former deputy director at the institution, by allegedly pressuring her to accept his sexual advances.
FIJ also reported that the university’s Governing Council directed Mr Fasina to apologise to the complainant.
However, during Thursday’s plenary, Plateau South Senator, Simon Lalong, who presented the committee’s screening report on behalf of its chairman, said the allegations against the nominee had been investigated by both the lawmakers and the university’s governing council and were found to be unsubstantiated.
“The accusation against Professor Fasina was investigated by competent authorities, including the university governing council and the Nigerian Police, and they both found the allegations to be false.
“The nominee had been cleared by the Department of State Services (DSS). The nominee had been cleared by the Nigerian Police,” he said.
Mr Lalong told his colleagues that no court judgment or documentary evidence established that the nominee committed the alleged offence when he appeared before the committee.
He therefore recommended Mr Fasina’s confirmation, saying the committee found the allegations against him to be baseless.
Senators raise concerns
Some senators, however, opposed the confirmation, stating that the Senate should conduct further investigations into the allegations.
Ekiti North Senator Cyril Fasuyi told his colleagues that the complainant had personally approached him and urged the Senate to suspend consideration of the nomination pending a fresh probe.
“The woman approached and told me everything that happened, but this woman did not get judgement. There is nobody in Ekiti North that is not aware of this matter. If this man is given express clearance, I don’t think it would be an issue that Ekiti, where he served as vice-chancellor, will be very happy about. This is a common issue in the entire Ekiti North and I am sure all over the country.
“It is a very sensitive issue that we cannot just sweep under the carpet. If this Senate will oblige, we can put a call straight to the woman and let the committee on rules and business, investigate this case. That woman did not get justice,” he said.
Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, also urged his colleagues to suspend the confirmation pending a court judgment on the allegations.
“And I think the general view is that nobody is saying he is guilty, he deserves to be innocent until proven guilty. But, as a matter of sensitivity, a man who faces cases like that, for the Senate to endorse him, will amount to being insensitive to the feelings of women, because not just one woman, there are two women, on different allegations.
“So I thought that in matters like this, it is even more prudent that we wait and ask the guy to clear himself before the courts,” he said.
Defence of nominee
The Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, defended the committee’s report, arguing that no one can be treated as guilty without evidence establishing wrongdoing.
Mr Monguno, who represents Borno North Senatorial District, also referenced Order 52(5) of the Senate Standing Rules on sub judice matters, cautioning senators against deliberating on issues already before the courts.
“A man is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved. We cannot halt our constitutional responsibility simply because of allegations,” Mr Monguno said.
Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi, also urged lawmakers to abide by the committee’s findings and recommendations.
“The Senate rules and the constitution permits the committee to evaluate your mental ability, your educational qualifications, whether or not you’ve been convicted. These are the scenarios that the committee goes on to ask questions. The committee is not permitted to ask how many wives you have? Have you been divorced? How many girlfriends do you have? This is not within the purview of the committee.
“So if there are allegations outside this purview, then it is not the business of a parliamentarian to bring this matter up for discussion because this is a terribly sensitive matter, and I think members should be guided in making sure that these matters do not come here again. This report as presented by the committee, we should go ahead and adopt it. Any other person, who has any other thing, can go to court,” he said.
Akpabio’s ruling
In his response, Mr Akpabio noted that the petitioner had not presented evidence before the committee and that it did not find the nominee culpable.
“I am happy that you (Senator Fasuyi) know the woman, and I am also happy that the woman told you everything. The question is where did she tell you everything? We have a committee in the Senate and we gave the mandate to the committee to go and investigate the nominee, and if found fit, recommend the nominee for clearance, and the committee has done its work.
“And not only did the committee do its work, the woman in question…we are not the panel investigating. There was nothing before the committee and she failed to appear before the committee. So, for me, I have a report in front of me, which is conclusive. The report says the man is very articulate, overqualified and should be cleared by the Senate,” he said.
Mr Akpabio also questioned why Mr Fasuyi did not encourage the complainant to appear before the committee during the screening process.
“So, you cannot destroy somebody’s career, a professor of note, because there was an allegation that had not been proven up till now. And then Senator Cyril, you signed this report, that this man is very articulate, and this man is wonderful. Then you now said that you spoke with a woman. So why didn’t you tell the woman to come to the committee,” he asked.
Mr Fasuyi subsequently withdrew his objection, noting that no senator from Lagos State had opposed the nomination and that the nominee is from the state.
“There is no senator from Lagos that is objecting to his nomination. I therefore withdraw my submission,” the senator noted.
After the withdrawal, Mr Akpabio directed the Senate to proceed into the Committee of the Whole to consider the report.
The lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the committee’s recommendation, and Mr Akpabio subsequently announced Mr Fasina’s confirmation as a non-career ambassador.
With the confirmation, Mr Fasina is expected to receive a diplomatic posting from the Presidency in the coming weeks.
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