EFCC operates without a chairman – Senate

There are indications that the Senate is still nursing animosity
against the executive arm of government, for retaining Ibrahim Magu
as the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC). The apex legislative chamber had twice refused
to confirm Magu as substantive chairman when he was nominated by
President Muhammadu Buhari, anchoring its decision on unfavourable
security report by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public
Petitions, Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East), disclosed that the
Senate no longer recognised Magu as acting Chairman of the EFCC.
Anyanwu gave the revelation in Abuja at a press briefing by the
Senate Ad hoc Committee set up to investigate alleged wastes in
Customs warehouses. He explained that there were many petitions
against the EFCC, but his committee could not invite Magu because
he was no longer seen as the acting chairman.

The lawmaker further noted that there were other confirmation
requests from President Muhammadu Buhari pending in the Senate, but
could not be attended to because of the rift between the Red
Chamber and the Presidency over Magu. He also said that the Senate
would use the occasion of budget defence to demonstrate its power
to the executive, for trampling on resolutions of the parliament.
His words: “The Senate rejected Magu twice as the Acting Chairman
of the EFCC based on his failure to perform well during his
screening in the Senate.

“Today, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics,
Privileges and Public Petitions, there are a lot of petitions that
involve the EFCC as a body, but we have refused to invite the
acting chairman before the committee because in the eyes of the
committee, he is no longer the chairman.

“Again, there are so many confirmations we supposed to have
screened, such like the NDDC nominees and the CBN board nominees,
but we have not been able to do that because of the issue of Magu.
It is one of the measures we are using to tackle the executive over
Magu.

“Of course, the budget is here and we are going to use that to
show that the Senate is strong and you cannot wake up and disregard
the resolutions of the Senate on important national issues.” Also
commenting on the refusal of the executive to remove Magu, Senator
Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West) tasked Nigerians and the media to hold
the executive accountable for its actions and inactions.

He said: “It will be very wrong to attribute the failure of the
Executive to carry out resolutions of the Senate as failure of the
parliament. Our job is to oversight; our job is to discover
problems, our job is to make recommendations and suggestions, which
the Senate has done perfectly. It is now left for the Executive to
implement whatever resolution we have made.

There are indications that the Senate is still nursing animosity
against the executive arm of government, for retaining Ibrahim Magu
as the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC). The apex legislative chamber had twice refused
to confirm Magu as substantive chairman when he was nominated by
President Muhammadu Buhari, anchoring its decision on unfavourable
security report by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public
Petitions, Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East), disclosed that the
Senate no longer recognised Magu as acting Chairman of the EFCC.
Anyanwu gave the revelation in Abuja at a press briefing by the
Senate Ad hoc Committee set up to investigate alleged wastes in
Customs warehouses. He explained that there were many petitions
against the EFCC, but his committee could not invite Magu because
he was no longer seen as the acting chairman.

The lawmaker further noted that there were other confirmation
requests from President Muhammadu Buhari pending in the Senate, but
could not be attended to because of the rift between the Red
Chamber and the Presidency over Magu. He also said that the Senate
would use the occasion of budget defence to demonstrate its power
to the executive, for trampling on resolutions of the parliament.
His words: “The Senate rejected Magu twice as the Acting Chairman
of the EFCC based on his failure to perform well during his
screening in the Senate.

“Today, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics,
Privileges and Public Petitions, there are a lot of petitions that
involve the EFCC as a body, but we have refused to invite the
acting chairman before the committee because in the eyes of the
committee, he is no longer the chairman.

“Again, there are so many confirmations we supposed to have
screened, such like the NDDC nominees and the CBN board nominees,
but we have not been able to do that because of the issue of Magu.
It is one of the measures we are using to tackle the executive over
Magu.

“Of course, the budget is here and we are going to use that to
show that the Senate is strong and you cannot wake up and disregard
the resolutions of the Senate on important national issues.” Also
commenting on the refusal of the executive to remove Magu, Senator
Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West) tasked Nigerians and the media to hold
the executive accountable for its actions and inactions.

He said: “It will be very wrong to attribute the failure of the
Executive to carry out resolutions of the Senate as failure of the
parliament. Our job is to oversight; our job is to discover
problems, our job is to make recommendations and suggestions, which
the Senate has done perfectly. It is now left for the Executive to
implement whatever resolution we have made.