20th March, 2017
Some politicians in Lagos have called on the Federal Government to look for another person to manage the affairs of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The politicians said in interviews on Monday in Lagos that the Acting Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Magu, was not the only Nigerian competent to manage it.
The senate has twice refused to confirm Magu’s nomination as the EFCC Chairman based on allegations made against him by the Department of State Service (DSS).
Chief Ola Apena, Deputy Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of PDP, advised the government not to leave Nigerians with the impression that nobody else could do the job.
“Magu is not the only Nigeria that can manage EFCC; other Nigerians have done it before.
“If the DSS concludes that Magu does not possess the level of integrity and transparency needed, so be it.
“I do not think there should be any fuss about it as a section of the society is making it look. National Assembly members are not the ones who wrote the report,’’ Apena said.
Mr Dennis Aghanya, Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption and Research-based Data Initiative, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to nominate somebody else in place of Magu.
“Magu has tried; his name will go down in history as one of the Acting EFCC Chairmen Nigeria had.
“There are other competent and qualified persons for the job.
“The president should not insist any further,’’ Aghanya said.
He called on the National Assembly to amend the EFCC Act to accommodate people in other professions as EFCC chairman instead of only the police or armed forces.
Chief Martin Onovo, the 2015 Presidential Candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), urged Buhari to seek security clearance of a certain class of nominees to avoid what happened to Magu.
“The senate has a constitutional role to screen nominees from the president for certain positions; the senate has played its constitutional role.
“The senate can hold an opinion in direct contradiction with the president’s,’’ Onovo said.