Senate, Presidency negotiating Magu out of EFCC

A peace plan to restore the frosty relations between
the executive and National Assembly anchored on the removal of Mr
Ibrahim Magu from Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
is imminent Vanguard reports.

The exit follows Magu’s promotion to the rank of Commissioner of
Police, a promotion Vanguard gathered, followed back-channel
communication between the two arms of government on how to remove
lingering obstacles to cordial relations between the two arms of
government.

With his promotion, Magu is expected to proceed for Senior
Executive Course, SEC, at National Institute for Policy and
Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Plateau State.

The Senate had insisted on Magu’s exit after two failed
nomination appearances before the legislative body, which is
constitutionally empowered to confirm nominees for the office of
chairman of the agency.

The Senate’s rebuff was rejected by the Presidency, which
maintained Magu as acting chairman fuelling a beef with the
legislature.

With the presidency rebuffing the Senate and even claiming that
it did not need Senate confirmation, the legislative body held up
appointments by the president for several crucial positions in
government and was only moved by what senators claimed as national
concerns to clear nominations to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN
last month.

However, following back-channel talks, Vanguard gathered that
the presidency finally yielded to the pressure and as such
facilitated the promotion of Magu to the post of a substantive
commissioner of police, despite being promoted to the rank of
deputy commissioner a year ago.

Magu, who was appointed as acting chairman of the commission in
November 2015 as an assistant commissioner of police with
accelerated promotion is expected to proceed anytime soon to NIPSS,
Kuru for the SEC course.

The course is meant for those appointed as commissioners of
police or their military equivalents.

Vanguard gathered that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who had
been one of those that strongly backed Magu in the presidency is
now hunting for a replacement for Magu.

The exit of Magu is coming as part of the same strategy that was
used to force out the pioneer chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu, who was forced to proceed to SEC programme at NIPSS after
the advent of the President Umaru Yar‘Adua administration in
2007.

Magu who is affectionately adored as The General among his
admirers was the pioneer head of the Economic Governance Unit, EGU,
of the EFCC, the unit that deals with fraud issues relating to
politically exposed persons.

The peace plan nonetheless, Senate sources were still sceptical
of detente in the relations between the two arms of government
following last Wednesday’s mace snatching incident in the
Senate.

A peace plan to restore the frosty relations between
the executive and National Assembly anchored on the removal of Mr
Ibrahim Magu from Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
is imminent Vanguard reports.

The exit follows Magu’s promotion to the rank of Commissioner of
Police, a promotion Vanguard gathered, followed back-channel
communication between the two arms of government on how to remove
lingering obstacles to cordial relations between the two arms of
government.

With his promotion, Magu is expected to proceed for Senior
Executive Course, SEC, at National Institute for Policy and
Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Plateau State.

The Senate had insisted on Magu’s exit after two failed
nomination appearances before the legislative body, which is
constitutionally empowered to confirm nominees for the office of
chairman of the agency.

The Senate’s rebuff was rejected by the Presidency, which
maintained Magu as acting chairman fuelling a beef with the
legislature.

With the presidency rebuffing the Senate and even claiming that
it did not need Senate confirmation, the legislative body held up
appointments by the president for several crucial positions in
government and was only moved by what senators claimed as national
concerns to clear nominations to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN
last month.

However, following back-channel talks, Vanguard gathered that
the presidency finally yielded to the pressure and as such
facilitated the promotion of Magu to the post of a substantive
commissioner of police, despite being promoted to the rank of
deputy commissioner a year ago.

Magu, who was appointed as acting chairman of the commission in
November 2015 as an assistant commissioner of police with
accelerated promotion is expected to proceed anytime soon to NIPSS,
Kuru for the SEC course.

The course is meant for those appointed as commissioners of
police or their military equivalents.

Vanguard gathered that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who had
been one of those that strongly backed Magu in the presidency is
now hunting for a replacement for Magu.

The exit of Magu is coming as part of the same strategy that was
used to force out the pioneer chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu, who was forced to proceed to SEC programme at NIPSS after
the advent of the President Umaru Yar‘Adua administration in
2007.

Magu who is affectionately adored as The General among his
admirers was the pioneer head of the Economic Governance Unit, EGU,
of the EFCC, the unit that deals with fraud issues relating to
politically exposed persons.

The peace plan nonetheless, Senate sources were still sceptical
of detente in the relations between the two arms of government
following last Wednesday’s mace snatching incident in the
Senate.