The lackadaisical attitude of the House of Representatives
committee on anti-corruption has continued to stall the passage of
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIU) bill, Chairman Senate
Committee on Anti-corruption, Chukwuka Utazi has alleged.
Mr. Utazi (Enugu-PDP) also specifically accused the chairman,
House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, Akinloye
Babajide of hindering the progress of the bill by his failure to
attend scheduled meetings to finetune the bill.
The bill seeks to make the country’s financial intelligence
unit, currently under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), totally independent.
The NFIU, which is domiciled in the EFCC, was in July 2017
suspended by the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units for
allegedly not being independent.
Egmont Group is a global financial intelligence gathering body
made up of 156 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) representing 156
countries.
It is a platform for members to share expertise and financial
intelligence to combat money laundering and terrorist
financing.
The group reportedly demanded autonomy for the NFIU as a
condition for the suspension to be lifted, failing which Nigeria
would be expelled in 2018.
Following the suspension, the Senate moved to establish the
Nigeria Financial IntelligenceAgency through a bill, which passed
second reading in July 2017.
The bill was also passed by the House of Representatives
prompting the need for a conference committee to harmonise the two
drafts.
Mr. Utazi on Thursday said his House of Representatives
counterpart’s failure to honour his invitation has prevented a
meeting of the conference committee.
The lawmaker informed his colleagues that the next meeting of
the group, where the fate of Nigeria will be decided, is due for
March 11th.
“Mr. President, you may recall that in the meeting of Egmont
Group of financial intelligence in Maco in July last year, Nigeria
was suspended with a further threat of expulsion if before the next
meeting of Egmont Group which is coming up by 11th of March, that
if we don’t put our house in order, we will be finally
expelled.
“The expulsion has dire consequences on this country, our
financial institutions cannot do anything, our credit cards will no
longer amount to anything, Nigeria will be degraded to the high
risk nation. Even the corruption perception index we are
complaining about is a child’s play to what we are going to face in
few days to come,” he said.
Mr. Utazi exonerated the Senate committee saying that the
passage of the bill was majorly stalled by Mr. Babajide’s failure
to heed to invitations to the conference committee.
“This senate being very responsive passed this bill within a
record period of eight working days because of its urgency, because
of what it portends for this country if we do not do so. Now, the
House of Reps also took time to pass it but now a conference
committee has been constituted. I have been calling my colleague in
the House of Reps to come for meeting. We called for meeting first
and second time. Each time I call for this meeting, my counterpart
in the House of Reps will always tell me that he is attending one
meeting or the other. Today, it may be a defence and I told him
that defence should not take precedence over this issue. He knows
what is at stake.
“So, I am bringing this to public knowledge that the senate is
doing its job. If anything happens by next week 11th March the
Egmont Group decides to expel Nigeria, it will not be as a result
of the senate not doing their duty.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, promised to meet with the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to map a
way out.
“This matter has been taken up by the leadership and you have
been directed to hold your conference committee meeting, I’m
surprised the meeting has not taken place. I’ll have the
opportunity to see the speaker later today and remind him of the
decision we took that he can direct your counterpart, so that you
can hold this meeting urgently and we transmit the bill to the
president before the next Egmont meeting,” he said.
The lackadaisical attitude of the House of Representatives
committee on anti-corruption has continued to stall the passage of
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIU) bill, Chairman Senate
Committee on Anti-corruption, Chukwuka Utazi has alleged.
Mr. Utazi (Enugu-PDP) also specifically accused the chairman,
House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, Akinloye
Babajide of hindering the progress of the bill by his failure to
attend scheduled meetings to finetune the bill.
The bill seeks to make the country’s financial intelligence
unit, currently under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), totally independent.
The NFIU, which is domiciled in the EFCC, was in July 2017
suspended by the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units for
allegedly not being independent.
Egmont Group is a global financial intelligence gathering body
made up of 156 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) representing 156
countries.
It is a platform for members to share expertise and financial
intelligence to combat money laundering and terrorist
financing.
The group reportedly demanded autonomy for the NFIU as a
condition for the suspension to be lifted, failing which Nigeria
would be expelled in 2018.
Following the suspension, the Senate moved to establish the
Nigeria Financial IntelligenceAgency through a bill, which passed
second reading in July 2017.
The bill was also passed by the House of Representatives
prompting the need for a conference committee to harmonise the two
drafts.
Mr. Utazi on Thursday said his House of Representatives
counterpart’s failure to honour his invitation has prevented a
meeting of the conference committee.
The lawmaker informed his colleagues that the next meeting of
the group, where the fate of Nigeria will be decided, is due for
March 11th.
“Mr. President, you may recall that in the meeting of Egmont
Group of financial intelligence in Maco in July last year, Nigeria
was suspended with a further threat of expulsion if before the next
meeting of Egmont Group which is coming up by 11th of March, that
if we don’t put our house in order, we will be finally
expelled.
“The expulsion has dire consequences on this country, our
financial institutions cannot do anything, our credit cards will no
longer amount to anything, Nigeria will be degraded to the high
risk nation. Even the corruption perception index we are
complaining about is a child’s play to what we are going to face in
few days to come,” he said.
Mr. Utazi exonerated the Senate committee saying that the
passage of the bill was majorly stalled by Mr. Babajide’s failure
to heed to invitations to the conference committee.
“This senate being very responsive passed this bill within a
record period of eight working days because of its urgency, because
of what it portends for this country if we do not do so. Now, the
House of Reps also took time to pass it but now a conference
committee has been constituted. I have been calling my colleague in
the House of Reps to come for meeting. We called for meeting first
and second time. Each time I call for this meeting, my counterpart
in the House of Reps will always tell me that he is attending one
meeting or the other. Today, it may be a defence and I told him
that defence should not take precedence over this issue. He knows
what is at stake.
“So, I am bringing this to public knowledge that the senate is
doing its job. If anything happens by next week 11th March the
Egmont Group decides to expel Nigeria, it will not be as a result
of the senate not doing their duty.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, promised to meet with the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to map a
way out.
“This matter has been taken up by the leadership and you have
been directed to hold your conference committee meeting, I’m
surprised the meeting has not taken place. I’ll have the
opportunity to see the speaker later today and remind him of the
decision we took that he can direct your counterpart, so that you
can hold this meeting urgently and we transmit the bill to the
president before the next Egmont meeting,” he said.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/senator-accuses-rep-of-delaying-passage-of-nfiu-bill/