It is bad on the part of the National Assembly to delay the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive executive chairman of the EFCC.
In his bid to perform his role as the chief executive of the anti-corruption agency and because many of them know that they have one corruption charge or the other to contend with, they know that Magu will not give in to their antics of bribery and corruption.
Basically, they may not confirm Magu because he is a no-nonsense man.
Whether or not they do it, Magu will not relent in carrying out his duties. Inasmuch as they don’t succeed in intimidating him, and they cannot successfully attack him even if they try, they will not be able to concretise their plan.
They know that Magu is not someone that will fall for intimidation and he is ready to die for what he believes in. The Senate is just presenting itself as a bunch of people that only wants things that favour them.
Debo Adeniran (Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders)
To us in the Campaign for Democracy, the delay is reactionary. The Senate knows that if Magu could be doing so much in acting capacity, he would wreak more havoc if his appointment is confirmed.
They believe Magu is exposing too much of their secrets and atrocities. All the corruption that had been perpetrated in the past by the Senate members is being daily exposed and they think the man is going beyond his limit.
They find it difficult to approve his appointment because they see him as a threat.
Obatungashe Adebayo (Deputy President, Campaign for Democracy)
If they are saying they cannot confirm his appointment because he has issues to resolve, then I may not want us to rush them into taking a decision that we will come back to condemn them for. But ordinarily, every Nigerian would expect them to expedite action in something as simple as confirmation of an appointment. I think we are moving too slowly in this country since the takeover of government by the All Progressives Congress.
The APC has populated the Senate and the House of Reps. So, there ought not to have been any problem between the executive and the legislature. If they are delaying the confirmation of Magu, they will need to tell Nigerians unequivocally the reason for that. If not, they should be seen as delaying progress and good governance in the country.
Gani Taofik (PDP spokesperson, Lagos State)
That is not the only position that is yet to be confirmed. We have others which are as critical as the EFCC. Why this has yet to be done is difficult for me to say because there are committee members in charge of the EFCC. It is after they are done that the matter would be taken to the larger house. If any particular position is not confirmed, it may have to do with further investigations. You are, however, aware there have been issues and crises with this government and we are just settling down. I don’t know of any reason for the delay because like some other senators, I have been away for some oversight functions. I will also like to stress that this does not have anything to do with corruption. There are some people who come up with all kinds of insinuations that are not correct. We all are fighting corruption.
Gbolahan Dada (APC Senator, Ogun-West)
I think they are afraid of Magu. A majority of those in the National Assembly are there to make money and steal from the system. They are not there to add any value to the system. They have seen what Magu is doing. So, all they are planning to do is to stop him. They need somebody that will not ask questions. I don’t think they will succeed. This is the first time we are getting somebody with courage to face the biggest problem confronting Nigeria as a politically entity and no power in the National Assembly can stop him. Nobody can change him and he cannot be rejected. We put the National Assembly members there to make law for us. Making Magu the substantive chairman of the EFCC is part of their job to help this country to grow.
I believe the delay is corruption fighting back. They are scarred and they are not happy with the man. Take for instance, the case of Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House of Representatives who said lawmakers stole N500bn from the N1.2trn allocated to the National Assembly in 10 years. That shows the level of corruption in the Assembly. So, you can see why they are afraid of the EFCC. They know this is a moving train and it can get to anybody. If the National Assembly refuses to approve his appointment, they will be defeated.
Joe Igbokwe (APC Publicity Secretary, Lagos State)
The EFCC chairman’s name was sent to the Senate for confirmation by the Vice-President when President Muhammadu Buhari was away. After procrastinating for a while, the letter was read by the Senate President and since then, the appointment has yet to be confirmed. There is no reason for the delay if not that corruption is fighting back. Nigerians should not forget that the Senate President is undergoing prosecution. Some of the legislators are also on the EFCC radar. The legislators, strictly speaking, are taking their own pound of flesh without respecting the constitution which imposes the task to confirm the appointment on them.
The way Nigerian legislators behave in using legislative duties as a way of settling scores leaves some raw taste in the mouth and it seriously undermines the President’s war against corruption. Magu should not be deterred by the delay. He should continue to bring corrupt legislators and others before the court.
Nigerians know the reasons for the delay and, in the long run, it is the legislators that will lose in the court of public opinion. The Senate owes us an explanation regarding the delay; personally, their conduct is a shame.
The EFCC should speed up ongoing investigations against the legislators and bring the corrupt ones to justice as soon as possible, whether his appointment is confirmed or not. The President should also do a follow-up on the letter to find out the reasons for the delay with a request that the confirmation should be done. Hopefully, that will make them to act. Nigerians are watching and waiting.
•John Aina (A legal practitioner)
I think the process of appointment and confirmation of certain public officers benefit from a dual mechanism – the executive and the legislature. And this is one of such appointments. The President, representing the executive, makes the appointment and the confirmation comes from the legislature, and not just the legislature, but the Senate.
The discretion is that of the legislature to confirm or reject the appointment. What is not acceptable is the refusal to exercise that discretion, and that is what is happening now.
We like to believe that it has everything to do with the critical situation and time we all find ourselves – in which the leadership of the EFCC has summoned the courage along the path of the presidential action towards the fight against corruption. It took almost 10 years before the Freedom of Information Act became law.
The truth is that Magu has shown courage and has shown his resolve to fight corruption no matter who’s ox is gored, This is the first time that Nigerians are witnessing the arraignment of all manner of people including SANs, judges, justices of even the Supreme Court.
The owl cried overnight, and the baby died in the morning, it’s clear where the death of the baby came from.
Malachy Ugummadu (National President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights)
Compiled by Samson Folarin and Opeyemi Soyoye
Punch
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