By Ayodele Oni
Scores of demonstrators have threatened to write to the country where Prof Abayomi Fasina will serve as ambassador to make them aware of pending issues against him if the Senate proceeds with his screening.
The demonstrators on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly, Abuja, urging the Senate to suspend the confirmation of Prof Abayomi Fasina as a non-career ambassadorial nominee over allegations of se*ual harassment, human rights violations and victimisation, which they said are currently before the courts.
President Bola Tinubu recently transmitted a list of ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation as part of efforts to fill Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad after months of vacancies.
However, Fasina’s nomination has continued to attract controversy, with several Civil Society Groups insisting that the Senate should defer any confirmation until pending court cases against him are concluded.
The protesters, under the banner of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, chanted solidarity songs and displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as “Suspend the Ambassadorial Appointment of Prof Fasina Now” and “Nigerian Senate, Don’t Confirm Prof Abayomi Fasina’s Ambassadorial Appointment.”
Prof Fasina is an immediate past Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Kye Ekiti, (FUOYE).
Some women groups had earlier written petition to the Senate not to screen the former Vice Chancellor.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex, Adeyemo Amira, a legal practitioner who spoke on behalf of the coalition, said Fasina has pending cases before the National Industrial Court in Lagos and Abuja.
While insisting that the protest was not driven by personal animosity, Amira urged the Senate to allow the judicial process to run its course before considering the nominee’s confirmation.
She also stressed that the protesters were not asking the Senate to convict or prosecute Fasina, noting that only the courts have the constitutional responsibility to determine guilt or innocence.
She said, “Our call to the Senate is clear. Where there are grave allegations such as sexual misconduct pending before a court, this is not the time to confirm such a person to represent Nigeria internationally. The Senate is not a court. Let the court do its job.
“We have no personal vendetta against Prof Abayomi Sunday Fasina. But this issue is bigger than one individual.”
Amira recalled a previous diplomatic nomination that reportedly attracted international scrutiny because of allegations linked to the nominee’s family, warning that Nigeria should avoid situations capable of damaging its reputation abroad.
She said the coalition was standing in solidarity with persons who have spoken out against sexual harassment, insisting that their voices deserve to be heard and protected.
“As Nigerians, we have a duty to protect justice and ensure that those who speak up against sexual harassment know that their voices matter.
“Nobody should be silenced because another person is influential or powerful. We are all equal in an egalitarian society,” she said.
The legal practitioner maintained that the coalition would welcome the nominee’s confirmation if he is cleared by the courts, but insisted that the Senate should postpone the process until the litigation is concluded.
“If he is cleared by the court, nobody will be happier than those of us advocating for justice. However, until that happens, we believe the Senate should hold on to the confirmation,” she added.
Amira further warned that if the Senate proceeds with the confirmation despite the pending court cases, the coalition would continue its advocacy and consider notifying the country where the nominee may be posted as ambassador about the unresolved allegations.
“We believe the Senate will do what is right. But if our appeal is ignored, we will continue to protest and speak up.
“We will also not hesitate to write to the country where he is to serve as ambassador to make them aware of the pending issues,” she said.
Also speaking, the co-convener of the demonstration, Dr Ernest Ogaze, argued that the Senate should reject the nomination rather than merely suspend its confirmation.
“We are saying clearly that the nomination of Prof Abayomi should be declined outright. We are not saying it should merely be suspended. It should be rejected,” Ogaze said.
According to him, confirming the nomination while the court cases remain unresolved could damage Nigeria’s international reputation.
“The country’s image stands to be negatively impacted. We cannot afford to allow these things to continue. Nigeria’s image is already facing challenges, and this would only make the situation worse.
“The National Assembly should decline this nomination without thinking twice,” he said.
Ogaze stated that the nominee is facing two court cases relating to allegations of se*ual harassment, adding that the matters are already before the courts.
He maintained that while every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the existence of pending litigation should warrant caution on the part of the Senate.
“Yes, we know that a person is innocent until proven guilty, but these are serious matters before competent courts and should not be taken for granted,” he said.
The coalition also cited what it described as a precedent involving a previous ambassadorial nomination.
Ogaze referred to the 2009 case involving Prof Tunde Adeniran, whose nomination as ambassador to the United States was not approved, arguing that the Senate should apply the same standard in the present case.
“There is a clear precedent, and I am calling on the National Assembly to do what is right by declining this nomination,” he said.
Also lending its voice, the Feminist Manifesto Conference called on the Senate to halt Fasina’s confirmation, citing pending criminal and civil cases involving allegations of se*ual misconduct.
A representative of the women’s rights group, Emmanuella Azu, disclosed that the organisation had submitted petitions to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate committee handling the confirmation process, urging them to suspend the nomination.
Azu said confirming the appointment while the allegations remain before the courts would send the wrong message about Nigeria’s commitment to addressing se*ual misconduct.
“I stand today on behalf of the Feminist Manifesto Conference, a coalition of over 500 civil society organisations. We are asking the Senate to halt the confirmation of Prof Abayomi Sunday Fasina.
‘He should not be confirmed for an ambassadorial position while allegations of se*ual misconduct against him are still before the courts,” she said.
