No request before Senate for Magu’s confirmation, says Lawan

The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday, has said that there was no request before the 9th Senate for the confirmation of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Lawan made this known when Prof. Itse Sagay, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), paid him a visit at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

Recall that the 8th Senate had on March 15, 2017 rejected the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the EFCC due to security reports against him.

It was also reported that Sagay had on Wednesday, made a case for the appointment of Magu as the substantive chairman of the commission.

According to the president of the senate, this is a new Senate and therefore, until there is a request to this Senate, there is nothing the Senate can do.

“And I want to assure you that any request that comes from Mr President is a request that will make Nigeria a better place in terms of appointments or legislation.

“And the senate will act expditiously to ensure that we play our part in the confirmation or passing of legislation appropriately.

“You have talked about passage of anti-corruption bills, you have come to the right place but you will also do your work.

“This is a new Senate. Going by our rules and I believe that goes for the House of Representatives too, any issue that was not concluded in the last National Assembly, will have to start all over again.

“So, as far as we are concerned, those bills will have to come again and start to go through the process from the very beginning.

“We are ready, infact, we are in a haste if those bills are ready for us to start working on them,”Lawan said.

Sagay on his part, said that Magu had done magnificent work so far in the years of being in acting capacity and if made substantive chairman, would be a good companion to the legislature in achieving the aims of anti-corruption in the country.

“We also want to bring before the Senate, some of the criticisms of the public in the area of oversight.

“There is this constant complain that members of committees demand some form of gratification before they would visit a place or write anything favourable about the ministries, departments and agencies.

“We appeal to the leadership to look into it and ensure that the oversight work of the Senate does not involve anything that will be described as extortion,” he said.