Senate appoints Aniekan Bassey as new Chairman Senate Committee on Diaspora & NGOs to Replace Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

The Senate has announced a fresh change in its committee leadership.

At the plenary on Thursday, the President of the Senate Goodswill Akpabio named Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.

He replaces Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose chairmanship of the committee had remained in limbo following her recent suspension.

Recall that in a minor reshuffle earlier in February, Senator Natasha was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content and reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee.

While no official reason was given for her replacement, it is believed the development may be linked to the unresolved status of her suspension.

A Federal High Court ruling by Justice Binta Nyako had ordered Senator Natasha’s reinstatement, directing her to apologise to the Senate over her conduct.

But the Senate maintains it is yet to receive a certified true copy of the court’s judgement.

For now, the reshuffle takes effect, with Senator Bassey stepping in to lead the committee’s work on diaspora affairs and civil society engagement.