Aisha Dahir-Umar has been confirmed by the Senate as the substantive Director General of the National Pension Commission Board.
The chamber also confirmed the appointment of Dr Oyindasola Oluremi Oni, from North-Central as chairman.
Messrs Clement Akintola (South-West); Ayim Nyerere (South-East) and Charles Emukowhale (South-South), were also confirmed as commissioners for the PenCom board.
The Senate however rejected the confirmation of Hannatu Musa (North-West) because she was unable to present her discharge certificate from the National Youths Service Corps.
Members of the Minority Caucus in the Senate had last week sent a petition to the Committee on Establishment and Public Service, seeking the disqualification of Dahir-Umar as the substantive DG of PenCom.
Until her confirmation on Tuesday, Dahir-Umar, from the North-East geopolitical zone, held the position in acting capacity.
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who argued against Dahir-Umar confirmation, insisted that since her predecessor did not complete her tenure, the position should be occupied by someone from the South-East, where Mrs Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, whose five-year tenure was truncated, hailed from.
Ruling on Abaribe’s argument, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said the constitutional provisions relied upon by those who were kicking against the DG’s appointment was not valid because the tenure of Anohu-Amazu’s board had expired before the appointment of Dahir-Umar.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had penultimate week, sent the name of Dahir-Umar to the Senate, seeking the lawmakers’ confirmation for her to be the substantive DG.
Their confirmation followed the consideration of the report of Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano Central).
Abaribe, however, protested against the confirmation of Dahir-Umar on the grounds that fairness, justice and equity was negated in the appointments of persons into public offices.